WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson says the U.S. Congress is likely to vote this week to repeal the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which imposed harsh sanctions on Syria, plunging millions into poverty. 
If passed, the repeal would move to the Senate for debate. Wilson spoke at a U.S. Capitol event organized by the Syrian American Council (SAC), calling for an end to sanctions that have crippled Syria’s economy.
The Caesar Act was imposed as part of a broader U.S. and Western strategy to crush Syria’s economy and topple President Bashar al-Assad. This campaign heavily supported extremist groups, notably Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), whose leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani is a former commander with ties to both Daesh and Al-Qaeda in Iraq. 
These groups, backed covertly by the U.S., Europe, Turkey, and Israel, waged a brutal war on Syria, leading to widespread destruction and weakening Assad’s government.
Despite HTS’s known terrorist affiliations and its role in massacres of religious minorities, including Alawites and Druze, Western powers have increasingly pushed to normalize ties with the regime in Damascus, undermining Syria’s sovereignty. 
This normalization effort overlooks HTS’s violent past and ongoing extremist activities, betraying the region’s fragile security.
Wilson highlighted how the Caesar sanctions were applied during Syria’s fight against these foreign-backed terrorist groups, which ultimately destabilized the country and precipitated Assad’s fall from power. He argued that lifting sanctions would promote Syria’s unity and stability, urging Congress to support repeal efforts.
The U.S. and European push to engage with HTS and weaken Assad through draconian sanctions inflicted immense suffering on civilians, with long-term consequences still unfolding.