PNN – The U.S. House of Representatives has repealed the sanctions known as the Caesar Act, which were previously imposed on Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing Reuters, the House approved the large defense budget bill for fiscal year 2026, valued at nearly $900 billion. The Syria-related section of the bill includes the repeal of the Caesar Act sanctions.
Reports indicate that the bill encompasses a wide range of provisions related to Syria, Ukraine, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Iraq, and so-called counter-narcotics programs. Regarding Syria, the sanctions previously applied under the Caesar Act against the Assad government have been lifted.
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For Ukraine, the bill provides $400 million in security assistance for each of the years 2026 and 2027.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the bill fully funds $1 billion in security cooperation with Taiwan, establishes a joint drone program between the Pentagon and Taipei, and maintains 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.
The legislation also prohibits reducing the number of U.S. forces in Europe to fewer than 76,000 for any period exceeding 45 days.
Other provisions include the repeal of the authorizations for the use of military force related to the 1991 and 2002 Iraq wars.
The bill also allocates $1 billion for alleged counter-narcotics operations, including maritime activities.
After approval by the House of Representatives, the bill must be reviewed and passed by the Senate before being sent to the president for final signature.