April 16, 2025

Senator Warren and Representative Wilson Send Bipartisan Letter Pressing State Department for Details and Timeline on Updating Syria Sanctions

“Our current sanctions not only threaten Syria’s economic and social stability but also risk spurring migration, worsening dependency on illicit drug exports, and once again providing inroads for Iran or Russia.”

Response from State Department (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC-02), Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a bipartisan follow-up letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the State Department to provide details and a clear timeline on the Trump Administration’s plans to revise U.S. sanctions on Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime.

“We are writing to request a follow-up briefing to discuss the specifics of the State Department’s plans to update U.S. sanctions on Syria. As noted by your response, we mutually recognize Syria’s historic opportunity to rebuild in the absence of Assad’s repressive rule,” wrote the lawmakers. 

The request follows a letter Warren and Wilson sent to the Department of State last month, pressing the Administration to reevaluate outdated, broad-based sanctions that now risk undermining regional stability and reconstruction. In the follow-up, the lawmakers reiterated the need for near-term policy adjustments and a roadmap for Syrian authorities to seek relief from certain U.S. restrictions.

“In our previous letter, we highlighted the need to reevaluate our broad sanctions on Syria, which now undermine U.S. objectives and recovery efforts,” wrote the lawmakers. “Our current sanctions not only threaten Syria’s economic and social stability but also risk spurring migration, worsening dependency on illicit drug exports, and once again providing inroads for Iran or Russia.”

While the State Department’s April 2 response acknowledged the shifting landscape in Syria and cited the issuance of General License 24 to preserve basic services also noted in the lawmakers’ letter, it lacked details on further policy measures or a timeline for broader reforms. The lawmakers are now requesting a briefing to better understand the administration’s approach, including:

  1. Which sanctions the State Department supports modifying or lifting in the near term;
  2. What criteria Syrian authorities must meet to secure relief from restrictions the United States plans to keep in place; and
  3. What communications the U.S. has had with Syrian counterparts about potential changes.

In the letter, the lawmakers also reemphasized the importance of acting swiftly, warning that failure to adjust U.S. policy could jeopardize a rare opportunity to stabilize the region.

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