Congress and Foreign Sanctions

A bloc of 134 House Republicans, led by Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, sent a letter pressing the Trump administration for assurances that newly passed NDAA language easing longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria will be strictly conditioned on the al‑Sharaa government’s compliance and protections for religious and ethnic minorities. The lawmakers, citing the recent ISIS ambush that killed two Iowa National Guard soldiers in Syria, say the U.S. must be ready to quickly 'snap back' sanctions if President Ahmed al‑Sharaa or Syrian military elements renege on commitments and signal they want to visit Damascus to verify conditions on the ground.