After weeks of anticipation and frustration over Republican Representative Brian Mast’s refusal to lift the Caesar Act, despite his meeting with Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington, Mast announced a major shift on Monday evening.
He said he now supports ending the sweeping sanctions on Damascus, although under specific conditions that would allow the United States to reimpose them if the transitional government fails to meet what he described as core commitments for regional stability.
The shift comes as lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate hold intensive talks to finalize the National Defense Authorization Act before the end of the week, paving the way for a vote in early December on scrapping the sanctions entirely.
Mast, one of the strongest opponents of lifting them without limits, insisted in media comments that he was not working against the Trump administration, which backs a full repeal. He noted that the president’s current authority only allows a six-month suspension of sanctions, a constraint he said does not fit the new phase in Syria.
Vague conditions
Mast said he supports a full repeal as long as the legislation includes mechanisms to reinstate sanctions if the transitional government fails to meet conditions he did not spell out.
But congressional sources say those conditions relate to protecting minorities, counterterrorism measures, and engaging in a negotiation track leading to a lasting peace with Israel.
That approach has drawn objections from supporters of an unconditional repeal, who argue that even hinting at the return of sanctions would undermine the confidence of American companies and allied governments, weakening prospects for investment and reconstruction.
More hawkish Republicans, however, say having Mast’s imprint on the decision gives the White House a safe passage to do what President Donald Trump wants, while preserving future leverage.
Trump’s support and regional pressure
Mast’s shift followed weeks of quiet meetings between the White House and the Republican faction that backs Trump’s foreign policy, as well as repeated sessions between Mast and the administration’s national security team.
Trump expressed strong support for al-Sharaa during what was described as a “historic” visit to the White House, calling him “a strong leader” who emerged from “a tough environment.” Trump added, “We will do everything we can to ensure Syria’s success.”
Fears of a reversal
The Caesar Act ranks among the toughest sanctions laws, prohibiting financial dealings with Syrian state institutions and penalizing foreign entities that work with Damascus, part of an effort to hold the former regime accountable for human rights abuses.
Supporters of its repeal say keeping it in place would deter investment, fuel worries about sudden US policy reversals, and block access to information about missing Americans in Syria.
Opponents fear the decision would hand al-Sharaa “blank check,” pointing to lingering doubts among some members of Congress about his past and former designation, along with uncertainty over his stance toward minorities and future ties with Israel.
Political sources say the White House offered Mast “drafting options” that would let him maintain his standing as a hawk within the Republican Party, while avoiding an obstruction of Trump’s shift on Syria.
The sources said the two sides were in “daily” contact, and that Mast insisted on a mechanism allowing sanctions to snap back without a new legislative battle.
Although signs point to an almost certain repeal, upcoming discussions will center on the design of the reactivation provisions, the issue Mast is fighting over in what may be his final legislative push within the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Brian Mast, from wounded soldier to one of Congress’s leading hawks
Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has risen swiftly in national politics, drawing on a heavy military background that shaped his path and projected an image of resolve and firmness.
Born in 1980, Mast served for years in US Army units on high risk missions before an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010 cost him both legs.
That experience, central to his public persona, is one he often describes as a motivation to keep fighting on the legislative front.
Mast entered politics in 2016 with support from nationalist conservative circles in the Republican Party, quickly building a reputation as a “hard line hawk” on national security. Repeatedly elected in Florida, he became a key figure within the Republican caucus, especially in defense debates and Middle East related legislation.
His role as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee placed him at the heart of foreign policy making, a position he has used to rally backing for issues he sees as “essential to preserving America’s global influence.”
At the same time, he forged a strong relationship with Trump, who views him as “a trusted voice for the nationalist wing” in Congress.
On Syria, Mast emerged as one of the staunchest opponents of lifting sanctions without conditions, before repositioning himself in recent weeks to support a repeal that includes “mechanisms to restore sanctions if needed.”
The shift has been read not as a retreat, but as a form of “calculated pragmatism” that allows him to align with Trump’s direction without giving up the pressure tools guarded by the hawkish faction.
With a profile that blends military sacrifice, media presence, and legislative clout, Mast continues to entrench his place as one of the most influential foreign policy decision makers in the United States.
