U.S. Senators Propose Bill to Repeal the Caesar Act

ARK News.. In a joint statement, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D) and Rand Paul (R) introduced a new bill aimed at repealing the 2019 "Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act."

According to the statement, the bill responds to "growing recognition that while the Caesar Act successfully isolated the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, it has now become an obstacle to stability, reconstruction, and democratic transition in Syria."

The proposed legislation seeks to lift broad economic sanctions imposed under the act, while preserving U.S. tools to hold Syrian officials accountable for human rights violations.

Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated:
"The Syrian people now have a historic opportunity to write a new chapter for their country and the entire region."
She added that Syrians have "suffered for too long under Assad’s brutal dictatorship, backed by Iran and Russia, and fought a devastating civil war to escape tyranny."

Senator Rand Paul emphasized his long-standing opposition to sweeping sanctions, noting:
"I have always opposed broad sanctions that harm innocent people more than the regimes they target."
He argued that while the Caesar Act was intended to isolate Assad’s regime, "it ended up punishing ordinary Syrians, increasing poverty, hindering recovery efforts, and blocking progress toward peace."

He concluded: "Repealing the act is a step toward a more balanced and principled approach—one that holds bad actors accountable without causing unnecessary suffering to the very people we claim to support."

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