The Senate approved the repeal of strict sanctions legislation targeting the now-deposed Assad regime in Syria, as part of its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been working to repeal or roll back the sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, for several months, though the effort is not without some opponents.

The chamber also passed, as part of a bipartisan package of amendments, an amendment led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) — opposed by some Syrian-American activists — that requires regular reports to Congress certifying Syria’s compliance with a variety of U.S. priorities and urges the administration to reimpose sanctions if such verification cannot be completed.

The House version of the NDAA does not include a similar provision, so whether the sanctions repeal is included in the final bill, and in what form, will be subject to negotiations between the two chambers. Legislation placing a variety of conditions on the suspension of the Caesar Act, rather than repealing the sanctions, has gained momentum in the House.

The Senate also approved, by voice vote, an amendment that would repeal the Authorizations for Use of Military Force that allowed for the Iraq and Gulf wars. With similar provisions included in the House version of the bill, the repeal of those war authorizations, a long-term goal of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, looks increasingly likely this year.

Opponents have argued that the process has moved too quickly and with too little deliberation and consultation with the administration, and that repealing the authorities could jeopardize counterterrorism operations.

The upper chamber rejected an amendment that would have barred the modification of a Qatari-donated jumbo jet to serve as Air Force One, by a party-line vote of 50 to 46.

Other provisions added to the legislation in bipartisan amendment packages include programs aimed at countering foreign information manipulation and interference by adversaries like Iran; a study of the potential security conditions for reopening the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria; and legislation aimed at countering the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens by adversaries like Iran by creating a new designation and penalties for countries engaging in such activity.

The legislation also expands and modifies various U.S.-Israel cooperative military programs.

The House Financial Services Committee is set to consider legislation by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) this week that aims to create oversight and set conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria, but stops short of full repeal of the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act sanctions bill that other lawmakers are pushing on a bipartisan basis.

That the House is moving forward with Lawler’s legislation, which sets conditions for waiving Caesar Act sanctions, rather than the bipartisan Caesar Act repeal effort may indicate a level of continued skepticism from some House members about the prospect of full sanctions relief for the new Syrian government that has been pushed by the Trump administration.

“This bill modernizes the existing sanctions regime on Syria, requires assessments on existing sanctions relief provisions, and sets out goals for the Syrian government to meet anti-money laundering and anti-corruption standards,” Lawler said in a statement. “As the Trump Administration is already reviewing sanctions policy, we must ensure they have the tools to do so that reflect the current security environment.” 

“The al-Sharaa Administration certainly has a lot of work to do to reintegrate Syria with the U.S. and our allies. While this job should be difficult given the circumstances, it shouldn’t be impossible,” Lawler continued.

The Lawler bill would amend the Caesar Act to allow the president to waive the sanctions as long as the Syrian government meets a number of conditions, including that it not bomb its civilian population; allow humanitarian aid, medical access and freedom of travel; releases political prisoners detained by the Assad regime and allows international human rights groups to inspect prison facilities; does not target medical facilities, schools, residential areas, markets and community gatherings; combats production and proliferation of the illicit drug Captagon; and does not target or detain religious minorities.

The legislation also extends the waiver period for the sanctions from 180 days to two years. I would sunset the Caesar Act entirely when the administration verifies that Syria has been in compliance with those conditions for two years or at the end of 2029, whichever comes sooner.

Another section of the legislation instructs the administration to brief Congress on regulatory and enforcement relief provided to the Central Bank of Syria through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, allowing the bank to re-integrate with the global financial system. 

It also asks the administration to assess whether the Export-Import Bank should be allowed to support exports to Syria; it is currently banned from doing so.

In addition, it instructs the administration to work to support policies to combat money laundering, weapons proliferation and corruption, as well as support financial connectivity and economic growth in Syria at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.