House Votes 312–112 to Repeal Syria’s Caesar Sanctions in Defense Bill

Overview

• The repeal is embedded in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which now awaits Senate consideration before it can reach President Donald Trump.
• The bill mandates assessments every 180 days for four years to gauge progress on countering ISIS, removing foreign fighters from government roles, and protecting religious and ethnic minorities.
• If benchmarks are missed, the legislation authorizes the reimposition of targeted sanctions on individuals until corrective steps are taken.
• Syria’s currency strengthened about 2.5 percent after the vote as officials and business leaders in Damascus welcomed the move, noting earlier temporary waivers that excluded dealings with Russia and Iran.
• The NDAA also ties some regional policies to security goals, including conditioning certain aid to the Lebanese military on progress toward disarming Hezbollah and reaffirming US security guarantees for Israel.