Efforts inside the US Congress to repeal the Caesar Act sanctions against Syria

A number of lawmakers in the US Congress have introduced a new bill aimed at completely rescinding sanctions imposed on Syria, including the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which was passed in 2019 and was the cornerstone of US sanctions on the former Syrian Assad regime.

An amendment to lift the sanctions was included in the annual defense budget bill, a key piece of legislation passed annually, increasing the proposal’s chances of passing through a more expedited legislative process.

Republican Senator Joe Wilson, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East subcommittee, said, “I seek to use all available means to repeal the Caesar Act as soon as possible… Just as it was previously passed in the defense budget, we hope it will be repealed in the same manner”.

He added that the continued implementation of the Caesar Act hinders any long-term investment in Syria, which hinders reconstruction efforts, adding, “Syria won’t be rebuilt unless we create a stable investment environment”.

For its part, the Syrian American Council, a prominent advocacy organization in Washington, announced that the amendment to repeal the Caesar Act was officially included as Section 5259 of the US Department of Defense budget bill, with support from members of both parties.

The SAC affirmed that this step aims to expedite the repeal process through approved legislative channels, noting that the same law was previously passed using the same mechanism, as an addendum to the 2019 Defense Act.

Despite the progress achieved, the House emphasized in its statement that passage of the article still requires intensive efforts to convince members of the House Armed Services Committee, as well as other relevant committees.

It explained that success in passing the repeal depends on gaining broader support within Congress.

The Syrian American Council called on all members of Congress to adopt the proposal without delay, stressing that, “Syria deserves a real opportunity to recover from years of war and economic collapse, free from the legacy of the Assad regime”.