Overview
- House and Senate negotiators inserted a repeal of the 2019 Caesar Act into the compromise NDAA unveiled late Sunday.
- The provision requires regular presidential reports certifying Syria is combating Islamic State, protecting minority rights, and refraining from unprovoked actions against neighbors, including Israel.
- Republican-led chambers expect to pass the bill by year-end, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.
- Sanctions relief is viewed as critical to Syria's recovery, with Saudi companies preparing billion-dollar investments once restrictions lift.
- Trump previously announced plans to lift sanctions and paused some measures, but permanent removal of the Caesar regime requires congressional action; the law targeted Assad-linked individuals and institutions and was named for a photographer who exposed torture evidence.