Sponsors (2)
Official title: Impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Government of Syria, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 29, 2026 by Lindsey O. Graham · Last progress January 29, 2026
The bill strengthens U.S. counterterrorism and sanctions tools against Syrian actors and preserves humanitarian trade while expanding executive sanctions authority and imposing significant compliance, diplomatic, and humanitarian risks that concentrate power and create economic and legal burdens.
All Americans: the bill authorizes designation and asset‑blocking authorities that make it easier to freeze U.S. assets and financial support for designated terrorist groups and Syrian officials, reducing funds available for terrorism and hostile actors.
Military personnel and border communities: the bill affirms and supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and related detention arrangements, helping preserve cooperation and the continued detention of ISIS fighters and families that reduce immediate terror threats.
Financial institutions, government screening systems, and immigration officials: the bill imposes targeted sanctions and visa/ inadmissibility authorities against senior Syrian officials and affiliates and mandates recurring reviews to identify additional persons, tightening financial and travel restrictions on culpable actors.
All Americans and Congress: the bill grants broad IEEPA and sanctions implementation authority to the President while exempting certain intelligence activities, expanding executive economic‑sanctions power and potentially reducing congressional oversight and public scrutiny.
Banks, brokers, and U.S. businesses (including foreign branches): the bill’s sanctions, broad definitions, and new blocking authorities will increase compliance costs, raise legal uncertainty, and risk loss of correspondent relationships that can translate into higher costs for customers and reduced market access.
Syrian civilians, humanitarian NGOs, and aid operations: sanctions and financial restrictions risk choking off economic activity, reconstruction, and service delivery in Syria and can complicate legitimate humanitarian or diplomatic interactions near designated actors.
Based on analysis of 12 sections of legislative text.
Designates Hay’at Tahrir al‑Sham as an FTO, requires sanctions on senior Syrian officials/entities, creates congressional review for removing Syria's state‑sponsor status, with exemptions and a 5‑year sunset.
Designates Hay’at Tahrir al‑Sham (al‑Nusrah Front) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and requires the President to impose sanctions on senior Syrian government officials and affiliated entities. It establishes a congressional review process for any presidential termination of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, creates mandatory sanctioning criteria for persons aiding the Syrian government, authorizes use of IEEPA to implement the law, includes humanitarian and intelligence exemptions, and sunsets after five years.