The US Congress, comprising both the Senate and the House of Representatives, recently approved the Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act (Captagon 2). The bill received 79 votes in favor and faced opposition from only 18 members.

The vote took place on Tuesday, April 23, and the bill was expedited as part of a legislative package.

Mohammed Ghanem, the Director of Political Planning at the American Coalition for Syria (ACS), stated via “X” (formerly known as Twitter) that the bill is now headed to the US president’s office for his signature, which is expected very soon. Once signed, the law will become effective and enforceable.

The bill has moved swiftly through legislative procedures, making its way to the president for signing, according to Congressional reports. It was approved by the House of Representatives as part of an urgent legislative package on April 20.

The bill enjoyed the support of 360 members from both parties (Democrats and Republicans) in the House of Representatives, while 58 members opposed it.

On April 18, the American Coalition for Syria announced efforts to expedite the passage of the bill after it was added to a package of projects previously considered by Congress urgently.

The House of Representatives had overwhelmingly approved the bill on April 16, granting the US government expanded powers to penalize the Syrian regime and its partners benefiting from illicit financing through Captagon trade. The bill was endorsed with a bipartisan vote of 410 in favor versus 13 opposed.

This legislation introduces new and direct sanctions against the perpetrators who produce and illegally trade Captagon, according to a statement released on April 16 by the official website of Congressman French Hill, the Republican sponsor of the bill in the House.

In his statement, French Hill remarked, “The required strategy that the US government has initiated to fight Assad’s production and smuggling of Captagon is still in its early stages, and we need new sanctions that directly target the individuals and networks associated with the Captagon trade,” emphasizing the importance of passing the bill he introduced, which would impose new sanctions related to illicit trafficking of Captagon in Syria, linked to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to the statement.