The US Senate voted Wednesday in favor of the 2026 defense budget bill, which includes a provision to repeal sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Act. The Senate then sent the bill to President Donald Trump for his signature to become law.
The US House of Representatives had already approved the repeal of the Caesar Act last week, which imposed US sanctions on Syria. This followed Wednesday’s vote by a majority in the House of Representatives on the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes provisions related to the Caesar Act.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Syria welcomes the US House of Representatives’ vote to repeal the Caesar Act, stating that it will help revive the Syrian economy.
The repeal of the law is expected to pave the way for the return of foreign investment and aid to support the new Syrian government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which was formed in March 2025.
US sanctions have been a major obstacle to the recovery of the Syrian economy, and their lifting is seen as a sign of the new Syrian government’s success.
The Caesar Act was passed in December 2019 to punish members of the Syrian regime for war crimes against civilians. It imposed broad sanctions targeting individuals, companies, and institutions linked to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in 2024.