The lifting of United States sanctions on Syria has taken a complex legislative and legal path that deprived Syrians of their joy six months after President Donald Trump announced in Riyadh, through Saudi and Turkish mediation, that sanctions on Syria would be lifted. The authority of the United States president covers executive sanctions only and does not extend to congressional sanctions, which is the case with the Caesar Act enacted in 2019. This has delayed the removal of sanctions because it requires compliance with a legislative process that begins in the Senate, moves to the House of Representatives, and then returns to the president for signature.
The United States administration, under Saudi and Turkish pressure, succeeded in steering congressional public opinion toward lifting sanctions on Syria as part of Washington’s new foreign policy in the Middle East. This effort achieved its first success in the Senate under the leadership of Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who placed the clause on lifting the Caesar sanctions within the Department of Defense budget. The clause calls for the unconditional lifting of sanctions and includes details concerning the reopening of the United States embassy. At the time it received seventy seven votes in favor against twenty two objections, with the objections directed at items in the defense budget rather than the Caesar Act itself. From this point the political game began.
Preemptive pressure
The new Syrian administration understands the enormous weight the House of Representatives carries in voting on the Caesar Act. Approval of the Senate version, after review, would mean sanctions are lifted and only await President Trump’s signature. However, any substantial amendment would require sending the bill back to the Senate for another vote and then returning it again to the House, a cycle that could extend for nearly a year. To avoid such a scenario, Syrian diplomacy used its lobbying networks to coordinate meetings and persuade House members to vote without any amendments. This required, by necessity, a meeting between the Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa and the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Brian Mast, who holds significant influence in the House and opposes lifting sanctions on Syria without conditions.
President al-Sharaa succeeded in answering all of Mast’s questions about the situation in Syria and how the Syrian administration intends to manage many of the files important to Mast. Mast is tied to the Israeli lobby and has strong relations within the minorities alliance, which he emphasized in his conversation with al-Sharaa regarding protection from extremist groups. He also raised issues concerning Syrian domestic affairs and counterterrorism, especially since both men have a past associated with jihadist cases.
Possible conditions
Despite the positive impressions Brian Mast expressed during his meeting with President al-Sharaa, United States policy is built on actions rather than signals. Therefore Damascus is anxiously watching to see whether the House will vote without amendments or introduce changes it fears. There have been previous unsuccessful attempts in the Senate, proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Senator Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic vice chair of the same committee. Their proposal included a six month period for reviewing Syrian government compliance with United States conditions. If two negative reports were issued, the Caesar Act would be reactivated. This is what Damascus fears may reappear in the House.
There are also concerns about a possible push from the Israeli lobby to insert conditions aligned with demands related to normalization tracks and recognition of newly occupied points in the south, or conditions concerning minorities or foreign fighters. All of these could be used in the House as legislative conditions.
Decisive Venezuela factor
Exclusive sources inside the United States Congress tell +963 that Washington’s announcement of an American war against Venezuela will contribute significantly to expediting the vote on lifting the Caesar Act without amendments. The clause lifting Caesar sanctions is integrated within the budget of the Department of War, known previously as Defense, which is preparing for an upcoming conflict and requires swift approval of the budget before the end of year recess to secure military salaries and logistical and missile preparations. Consequently, expediting the vote without amendments has become a national objective.
The sources confirm that given the challenges Syria faces because of the Caesar Act, Damascus needs a House vote with no amendments attached, allowing the bill to reach the United States president as a complete law specific to the Department of War. This direction appears to be taking shape in House corridors.
The sources also indicate that recent meetings between Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Brian Mast and House members have implicitly and informally agreed on voting without amendments, while adding recommendations rather than conditions. These recommendations would concern the protection of minorities, the issue of extremists, and political participation. These remain the principal American demands from the Syrian administration.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of +963.
