Sponsors (4)
Conditions U.S. security assistance and UNDP livelihood support tied to Lebanese security forces on eight anti-Hezbollah certifications, adds a terrorism designation, and mandates recurring reports on Iranian/Hezbollah influence.
Official title: To prohibit the availability of Federal funds to support the Armed Forces of Lebanon, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 5, 2025 by W. Greg Steube · Last progress March 5, 2025
The bill strengthens U.S. tools to deny Hezbollah-linked actors funding and increases oversight and enforcement, but does so at the cost of reduced aid and program access in Lebanon, potential harm to vulnerable civilians and third parties, higher agency and enforcement burdens, and narrower diplomatic flexibility.
U.S. taxpayers: the bill blocks or conditions U.S. funding that could directly benefit Hezbollah or Lebanese security forces tied to it, reducing the risk that American aid subsidizes adversarial actors.
U.S. policymakers and U.S. national security: conditioning and narrowing assistance gives the U.S. leverage and signals a clear policy stance to press Lebanon to reduce Hezbollah and Iranian proxy influence.
Americans and border communities: designating Suhil Bahij Gharab as a terrorist and freezing his U.S. assets helps disrupt terrorism financing and reduces his ability to fund or carry out attacks against U.S. interests.
Lebanese civilians and U.S. policy goals: suspending or restricting assistance may reduce training, equipment, and livelihood programs that build Lebanese state capacity, undermining stability and counterterrorism objectives.
Vulnerable low-income Lebanese: cutting or restricting UNDP and similar livelihood programs could reduce basic assistance reaching needy civilians who are not connected to security forces.
U.S. diplomatic and intelligence efforts: withholding aid and frequent public or congressional reporting may reduce U.S. on-the-ground influence, make monitoring harder, and constrain diplomatic flexibility and intelligence cooperation with Lebanese partners.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Bars most U.S. funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces and halts UNDP livelihood support tied to those forces unless the Secretary of State certifies eight conditions showing Lebanon has removed Hezbollah and related influence from government, security forces, and territory. Adds a terrorism designation for a named individual, and requires biannual reports on Hezbollah and Iranian influence in Lebanese government and defense institutions.