U.S. Senate approves repeal of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria
The US Senate approved repealing the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria as part of the 2026 defense budget, marking a potential shift in US policy toward Damascus. The move, welcomed by Syria's foreign ministry, still requires House approval and President Trump's signature.

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In what analysts describe as a “qualitative shift” in Washington’s approach to the Syrian file, the U.S. Senate has voted to repeal the Caesar Act, a sanctions law imposed on Damascus in 2019 as part of a maximum-pressure strategy targeting the former government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The vote, which passed with 77 senators in favor and 22 opposed, still awaits approval from the House of Representatives before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature. The decision has opened a major debate in political and diplomatic circles about whether the United States is redrawing its Syria policy for the post-Assad era, or merely preparing the groundwork for a new regional balance.
In an official statement released on X, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the Senate’s move, describing it as a “positive development” and an “important indication of responsible reconsideration of past policies.”
The ministry’s statement read as follows:
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the positive development represented by the adoption by the U.S. Senate of a provision within the budget bill that calls for the repeal of what is known as the ‘Caesar Act,’ which was imposed on the previous regime as a result of its crimes. Its continuation after the regime’s collapse has inflicted grave humanitarian and economic damage on the Syrian people and negatively affected civilians’ lives across all sectors.”
The statement expressed gratitude to “the American legislative circles that realized the importance of reassessing previous policies,” adding that the decision marks a constructive step toward correcting the trajectory of bilateral relations between Syria and the United States.
The ministry further stated: “This decision contributes to strengthening regional security and stability and opens new opportunities for humanitarian and economic cooperation. Syria looks forward to continuing constructive engagement and positive coordination with the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Government to complete the necessary steps toward full repeal of the Caesar Act.”
The ministry emphasized the strategic significance of this development, calling it “a major indicator of an international policy shift toward the Syrian issue,” one that “paves the way for national recovery, reconstruction, economic revitalization, and a climate of trust and cooperation regionally and globally.”
Syrian-American Council Hails “Dramatic Victory” After Months of Intense Legislative Battle, Mohammad Alaa Ghanem, Head of Political Affairs at the Syrian American Council (SAC), described the Senate vote as a “dramatic victory” after an intense and prolonged political struggle in Washington. Writing on his official X account, Ghanem explained that “the vote in the Senate was not predetermined,” noting that it followed months of heated debate between supporters and opponents.
Ghanem said, “This achievement is a real victory for all the efforts made to pass the clause calling for the repeal of the Caesar Act within the U.S. Department of Defense budget.”
He further elaborated that the approved provision stipulates the unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act by the end of this year, adding that “the battle our team fought was extremely tough.”
However, Ghanem cautioned that the legislative process is not yet complete, as the current version of the bill “will now move to negotiations with the House of Representatives to finalize the text that will be sent to President Trump for his signature before the end of the year.”
U.S. Lawmakers Welcome Repeal as a “Necessary Step Toward Syria’s Success”
On his official X account, U.S. Representative Joe Wilson wrote:
“Grateful the Senate has passed a REPEAL of the Caesar Act as part of the NDAA! These very severe sanctions were imposed on a regime which, thankfully, no longer exists. Syria’s success now depends on FULL & TOTAL repeal.”
Wilson’s remarks reflected the growing sentiment among American lawmakers who view the repeal as a step toward a new phase of engagement with Syria and a recognition of the shifting geopolitical realities in the region.
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019, consolidated multiple bipartisan legislative efforts aimed at punishing the government of Bashar al-Assad. It sought to cripple the Syrian economy and impose sanctions on any individual, entity, or government providing financial, technical, or material support to Damascus—including loans and export credits.
The law targeted major sectors of Syria’s economy, such as infrastructure, military maintenance, and energy, and extended sanctions to Russia and Iran, both major allies of the Assad government. It also barred foreign entities from participating in reconstruction projects, effectively freezing Syria’s post-war recovery efforts.
The act derived its name from a pseudonymous figure known as “Caesar,” a defector who smuggled thousands of photos of detainees tortured and killed in Syrian prisons between 2011 and 2014.
The Senate’s repeal of the Caesar Act marks what many observers see as a watershed moment in U.S.-Syria relations. For Damascus, it represents a symbolic end to a painful era of economic isolation and a chance to reenter the international community. For Washington, it may signal a recalibration of policy aimed at fostering stability, reconstruction, and renewed dialogue in the post-Assad phase.
As both sides prepare for the bill’s final passage through Congress and President Trump’s approval, the region—and the world—are watching closely to see whether this legislative shift will indeed open a new diplomatic chapter between Washington and Damascus, or simply serve as a pragmatic adjustment within a changing geopolitical landscape.