Washington, Dec.8 ( SANA) Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, a member of the Syrian American Council, announced Monday that the clause abolishing the Caesar Act imposed on Syria has been finalized in the U.S. Department of Defense budget and will be put to a vote in the coming days.
Speaking to SANA today, Ghanem said, “We are pleased to inform the Syrian people that the work on the clause repealing the Caesar Act is complete, and it has been confirmed in its final form within the Department of Defense budget agreed upon by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. From this point forward, no amendments can be made to this clause. This long and fierce battle has been decisively settled.”
Ghanem explained that congressional leadership had briefed members on the final budget, and that all last-minute attempts to make the repeal clause stricter had failed due to sustained efforts. He noted that the achievement ensures the unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act before the end of the year and removes the automatic mechanism for reimposing it. He added that the word “conditions” was removed from the final text, replaced instead by a congressional expression of hope that the Syrian government will address issues such as combating Captagon and implementing the March 10 agreement with the SDF—tasks the government is already coordinating with the U.S. on.
He clarified that while the authority to reimpose sanctions rests with the U.S. President, the final text does not grant any additional powers to impose sanctions on Syria.
Describing the development as a “true day of victory”, Ghanem said that the upcoming vote will not concern the Caesar Act alone but the final Department of Defense budget, which includes the repeal clause now secure from modification. He said the earliest possible vote is expected next Thursday, after which the budget will be sent to President Donald Trump for signature, at which point the clause will become legally effective. Trump is expected to sign it before the Christmas holiday.
Ghanem concluded by congratulating the Syrian people and expressing hope that the achievement will encourage greater investment in the Syrian economy, noting that the “sword of the Caesar Act is no longer hanging over it.” He also thanked Syrian American organizations that contributed to this outcome.
Recent developments in U.S. political circles have paved the way for the full, unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act. Following supportive statements from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, the repeal reflects extensive joint efforts between the Syrian government and Syrian American organizations.
The Caesar Act, originally approved by the U.S. Congress in December 2019 to sanction the former Syrian regime for war crimes, came into effect in June 2020. President Trump announced the lifting of some sanctions in May 2025, but full repeal required congressional approval and his signature.
