The repeal comes one year after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024 and the rise of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, reshaping Washington’s sanctions calculus.

It also follows Trump’s June 30, 2025 executive action easing several measures, leaving Congress to codify a permanent rollback.

Sanctions Repeal Embedded in $900 Billion Bill

The House approved the 3,000-page NDAA on December 11, 2025 by 312–112, securing strong Republican support and some Democratic backing.

The bill authorizes roughly $900.6 billion for the Pentagon and national security programs and folds the Syria sanctions repeal into must-pass legislation, mirroring a Senate vote that previously endorsed repeal by 77–22.

A core clause states that “The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019… is hereby repealed,” ending a sanctions regime that targeted Syria’s energy, construction, and financial sectors and discouraged foreign banks and investors from entering the market.

The Caesar Act, enacted in December 2019, imposed secondary sanctions on entities aiding Syria’s economy while Assad remained in power.

The law—named for a whistleblower who leaked evidence of regime atrocities—became one of the sharpest U.S. tools for isolating Damascus, but also contributed to economic collapse and humanitarian strain.

Its removal clears regulatory space for reconstruction initiatives that regional investors, including Gulf states, have been preparing since Assad’s fall.

Conditional Oversight of Syria’s New Government

Although the repeal is broad, it embeds conditional oversight.

The NDAA requires periodic White House certifications that Syria is combating ISIS and other extremist groups, excluding foreign fighters from government roles, safeguarding minority rights, and avoiding unprovoked military actions against neighbors such as Israel.

Failure to meet these benchmarks could trigger targeted sanctions reimposition, preserving U.S. leverage amid Syrian-Israeli frictions and concerns linked to al-Sharaa’s past leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

These conditions echo debates earlier in 2025, when H.R. 3941 and S. 2133 were introduced as standalone repeal bills before being folded into the defense package for broader support.

The compromise language emerged on December 7, 2025 as part of a bipartisan deal that balanced Trump-aligned normalization efforts with congressional demands for accountability and counterterrorism guarantees.

Regional and Domestic Policy Realignment

The repeal aligns with Trump’s “Peace Through Strength” agenda and his May 2025 meeting with al-Sharaa, where he pledged to lift remaining sanctions to accelerate Syria’s economic recovery.

Syrian state media called the vote a “victory” for normalization, while the Syrian American Council described it as essential for rebuilding civilian livelihoods after years of economic isolation.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, initially skeptical, ultimately backed the provision after negotiations that clarified conditions and reporting requirements.

Critics, including analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argue that removing the Caesar framework risks empowering a government still shaped by actors with extremist pasts and may weaken accountability for Assad-era crimes.

Several lawmakers also warned that easing sanctions amid recurring border skirmishes could complicate U.S. coordination with Israel.

Even so, proponents contend the repeal unlocks billions in prospective investment, addressing structural damage that sanctions reinforced since 2019.

Wider Shifts Inside the 2026 NDAA

The Syria sanctions rollback sits alongside other major foreign-policy items.

The NDAA repeals the 1991 and 2002 Iraq War Authorizations for Use of Military Force, closing a long chapter in U.S. intervention authority.

It also limits troop withdrawals from Europe, allocates reduced but continued aid for Ukraine, and increases support for Israel’s missile-defense programs such as Iron Dome. Domestically, the bill codifies 15 Trump border-security executive orders and eliminates Pentagon initiatives labeled “woke ideology” by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

These provisions collectively push the topline authorization $8 billion above the administration’s May 2025 request, though actual appropriations will follow separately.

The NDAA now heads to the Senate for final adoption before reaching President Trump for signature.