II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5574 

To support Lebanon’s rule of law and democratic institutions through 

sanctions, grants, and scholarships, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 17 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. REED) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To support Lebanon’s rule of law and democratic institutions 

through sanctions, grants, and scholarships, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLES.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Preventing the Undermining of Lebanon’s Sovereignty 

6 and Economy Act’’ or the ‘‘PULSE Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short titles; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 


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Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Codification of certain sanctions with respect to persons undermining 

the sovereignty of Lebanon or its democratic processes and institutions. 

Sec. 5. Sanctions with respect to certain foreign persons that undermine democratic institutions or processes in Lebanon. 

Sec. 6. Authorization of humanitarian and development assistance for Lebanon. 

Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations for security assistance to the Lebanese 

Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces Directorate. 

Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations for incentive fund for the reconstruction 

of Lebanese Government services and infrastructure. 

Sec. 9. Lokman Slim Excellence in Lebanese Investigative Journalism Award. 

Sec. 10. Countering the production and trafficking of captagon from and 

through Lebanon. 

Sec. 11. Livelihood and scholarship assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces 

and the Internal Security Forces Directorate. 

Sec. 12. Education for Lebanese host communities. 

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) political and economic stability in Lebanon 

4 is important for regional stability and the national 

5 security of the United States; 

6 (2) continuing security assistance to the Leba7 nese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces Di8 rectorate is— 

9 (A) vital to Lebanese and regional stability 

10 and security; and 

11 (B) in the national security interest of the 

12 United States; 

13 (3) the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Inter14 nal Security Forces of Lebanon are the legitimate 

15 guarantors of Lebanese sovereignty and security; 

16 (4) the implementation of United Nations Secu17 rity Council Resolution 1701 (2006) is vital to LebaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:06 Jan 21, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5574.IS S5574

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1 nese security and sovereignty, Israeli security, and 

2 stability throughout the region; 

3 (5) the selection of a president, in accordance 

4 with the rules set forth in the Constitution of Leb5 anon, is critical to the economic and political sta6 bility of Lebanon; 

7 (6) Politicians aligned with Hezbollah have un8 dermined Lebanon’s democracy by failing to hold 

9 special sessions of parliament long enough to select 

10 a president; 

11 (7) the Government of Lebanon must imple12 ment economic reforms mandated by the Inter13 national Monetary Fund as soon as possible, includ14 ing capital controls that are applicable to all Leba15 nese citizens; 

16 (8) members of the Parliament of Lebanon who 

17 undermine Lebanese democracy by preventing the 

18 selection of a president should be subject to sanc19 tions from the United States; 

20 (9) the production and trafficking of captagon 

21 in and through Lebanon enriches criminal gangs and 

22 terrorists, including Hezbollah, at the expense of re23 gional stability and Lebanese exports; 


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1 (10) supporting Lebanese host communities 

2 alongside Syrian refugees is important for the health 

3 and well-being of both communities; and 

4 (11) those responsible for the August 4, 2020 

5 explosion at the Port of Beirut must be held ac6 countable through— 

7 (A) a timely and unobstructed investiga8 tion by Judge Tarek Bitar; or 

9 (B) an independent outside investigation 

10 under the auspices of the United Nations. 

11 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

12 It is the policy of the United States— 

13 (1) to support Lebanon’s rule of law and demo14 cratic institutions by advocating for the timely selec15 tion of a president and government that are free 

16 from corruption in a process that is in accordance 

17 with the Constitution of Lebanon, including by con18 tinuing to impose sanctions on foreign persons who 

19 have undermined democracy and the rule of law in 

20 Lebanon; 

21 (2) to support the aspirations of the Lebanese 

22 people to live— 

23 (A) in peace, security, and prosperity; and 

24 (B) free from the influence of Iran and 

25 terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah, which have 


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1 sought for decades to shape the security and 

2 political dynamics within Lebanon; 

3 (3) to assist the full implementation of United 

4 Nations Security Council Resolutions 1559 (2004) 

5 and 1701 (2006), including by increasing the capac6 ity of the Lebanese Armed Forces to work with the 

7 appropriate United Nations monitoring missions to 

8 ensure the removal of weapons from non-state 

9 groups in designated areas; 

10 (4) to counter— 

11 (A) the build-up of rockets in southern 

12 Lebanon by Hezbollah and other Iranian proxy 

13 forces, such as Hamas and the Palestinian Is14 lamic Jihad; and 

15 (B) the placement of such rockets in and 

16 among the civilian population of southern Leb17 anon; 

18 (5) to support and build the capacity of the 

19 Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security 

20 Forces Directorate as the defenders of Lebanon’s 

21 territory and sovereignty, including through the con22 tinuing provision of security and livelihood assist23 ance; 


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1 (6) to support Syrian refugee and Lebanese 

2 host communities in Lebanon through the provision 

3 of economic and humanitarian assistance; 

4 (7) to support and strengthen civilian state in5 stitutions, infrastructure, and the provision of gov6 ernment services for all the Lebanese people, regard7 less of religion, sect, or ethnicity; 

8 (8) to support the independence of Lebanese 

9 state institutions from non-state actors and malign 

10 foreign influence; 

11 (9) to increase the capacity of Lebanese state 

12 institutions to counter the production and trafficking 

13 of captagon in and through Lebanese territory; 

14 (10) to support efforts to hold accountable 

15 those responsible for the August 4, 2020 explosion 

16 at the Port of Beirut; and 

17 (11) to support Lebanese civil society, including 

18 independent journalism and investigative journalists. 

19 SEC. 4. CODIFICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RE20 SPECT TO PERSONS UNDERMINING THE SOV21 EREIGNTY OF LEBANON OR ITS DEMOCRATIC 

22 PROCESSES AND INSTITUTIONS. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY.—The term 

25 ‘‘agricultural commodity’’ has the meaning given 


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1 such term in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade 

2 Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602). 

3 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON4 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con5 gress’’ means— 

6 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

7 the Senate; 

8 (B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 

9 and Urban Affairs of the Senate; 

10 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

11 the House of Representatives; and 

12 (D) the Committee on Financial Services 

13 of the House of Representatives. 

14 (3) GOOD.—The term ‘‘good’’ means any arti15 cle, natural or manmade substance, material, supply, 

16 or manufactured product, including inspection and 

17 test equipment, and excluding technical data. 

18 (4) MEDICAL DEVICE.—The term ‘‘medical de19 vice’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘device’’ in 

20 section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos21 metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321). 

22 (5) MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘medicine’’ has the 

23 meaning given the term ‘‘drug’’ in section 201 of the 

24 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 

25 321). 


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1 (b) IN GENERAL.—Each person listed or designated 

2 for the imposition of sanctions under Executive Order 

3 13441 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property 

4 of persons undermining the sovereignty of Lebanon or its 

5 democratic processes and institutions) as of the date of 

6 the enactment of this Act shall remain so designated ex7 cept as provided in subsections (c) and (d). 

8 (c) EXCEPTIONS.— 

9 (1) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF

10 GOODS.—A requirement to block and prohibit all 

11 transactions in all property and interests in property 

12 pursuant to sanctions under subsection (b) shall not 

13 include the authority or a requirement to impose 

14 sanctions on the importation of goods. 

15 (2) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH THE UNITED

16 NATIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT AND LAW EN17 FORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under sub18 section (b) shall not apply with respect to the admis19 sion of an alien to the United States if admitting or 

20 paroling the alien into the United States is nec21 essary— 

22 (A) to permit the United States to comply 

23 with the Agreement regarding the Head24 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

25 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 


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1 November 21, 1947, between the United Na2 tions and the United States, or other applicable 

3 international obligations of the United States; 

4 or 

5 (B) to carry out or assist authorized law 

6 enforcement activity in the United States. 

7 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTEL8 LIGENCE ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under subsection 

9 (b) shall not apply with respect to— 

10 (A) any activity subject to the reporting 

11 requirements under title V of the National Se12 curity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.); or 

13 (B) any authorized intelligence activities of 

14 the United States. 

15 (4) HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions 

16 under subsection (b) shall not apply with respect 

17 to— 

18 (A) the conduct or facilitation of a trans19 action for the provision of agricultural commod20 ities, food, medicine, medical devices, or human21 itarian assistance, or for humanitarian pur22 poses; or 

23 (B) transactions that are necessary for, or 

24 related to, the activities described in subpara25 graph (A). 


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1 (d) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—The President 

2 may terminate the application of sanctions under sub3 section (b) with respect to a person if the President cer4 tifies to the appropriate committees of Congress that— 

5 (1) such person— 

6 (A) is not engaging in the activity that was 

7 the basis for such sanctions; or 

8 (B) has taken significant, verifiable steps 

9 toward stopping the activity that was the basis 

10 for such sanctions; and 

11 (2) the President has received reliable assur12 ances that such person will not knowingly engage in 

13 any activity subject to sanctions in the future. 

14 SEC. 5. SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN FOREIGN 

15 PERSONS THAT UNDERMINE DEMOCRATIC 

16 INSTITUTIONS OR PROCESSES IN LEBANON. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN; LAWFULLY

19 ADMITTED FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE.—The 

20 terms ‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, ‘‘alien’’, and ‘‘law21 fully admitted for permanent residence’’ have the 

22 meanings given such terms in section 101 of the Im23 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

24 (2) AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY.—The term 

25 ‘‘agricultural commodity’’ has the meaning given 


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1 such term in section 102 of the Agricultural Trade 

2 Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602). 

3 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON4 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con5 gress’’ means— 

6 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

7 the Senate; 

8 (B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 

9 and Urban Affairs of the Senate; 

10 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

11 the House of Representatives; and 

12 (D) the Committee on Financial Services 

13 of the House of Representatives. 

14 (4) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per15 son’’ means an individual or entity that is not a 

16 United States person. 

17 (5) GOOD.—The term ‘‘good’’ means any arti18 cle, natural or manmade substance, material, supply, 

19 or manufactured product, including inspection and 

20 test equipment, and excluding technical data. 

21 (6) MEDICAL DEVICE.—The term ‘‘medical de22 vice’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘device’’ in 

23 section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos24 metic Act (21 U.S.C. 321). 


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1 (7) MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘medicine’’ has the 

2 meaning given the term ‘‘drug’’ in section 201 of the 

3 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 

4 321). 

5 (8) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

6 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

7 (A) a United States citizen or an alien law8 fully admitted for permanent residence to the 

9 United States; 

10 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

11 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

12 United States, including a foreign branch of 

13 such an entity; or 

14 (C) any person located in the United 

15 States. 

16 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that 

18 is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

19 Act, the President shall impose the sanctions de20 scribed in subsection (c) with respect to a foreign 

21 person that the President determines— 

22 (A) knowingly engages, on or after such 

23 date of enactment, in an activity described in 

24 paragraph (2) that significantly undermines the 

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1 sistent with the rule of law and democratic pro2 cedures; 

3 (B) is an adult family member of a foreign 

4 person described in subparagraph (A), unless 

5 the President determines there is credible infor6 mation that such adult family member has dis7 associated himself or herself from such foreign 

8 person; or 

9 (C) is owned or controlled by a foreign per10 son described in subparagraph (A). 

11 (2) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—A foreign person 

12 engages in an activity described in this paragraph if 

13 the foreign person— 

14 (A) is a senior member of the Lebanese 

15 Parliament who undermines the rule of law and 

16 democratic institutions in the Republic of Leb17 anon by interfering with or otherwise delaying 

18 a special parliamentary session for the purpose 

19 of nominating and selecting a President of the 

20 Republic of Lebanon when that action is in21 tended to block a known consensus candidate 

22 for President with the intent to— 

23 (i) deny such a session a quorum as 

24 required in article 49 of the Lebanese con25 stitution; and 


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1 (ii) prevent a simple majority vote to 

2 select a President of the Republic of Leb3 anon in accordance with article 49 of the 

4 Lebanese constitution; or 

5 (B) undermines the rule of law in the Re6 public of Lebanon by delaying or otherwise in7 hibiting lawful investigations, including an in8 vestigation into the August 4, 2020, explosion 

9 of the Port of Beirut. 

10 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

11 (1) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The President 

12 shall exercise all of the powers granted to the Presi13 dent under the International Emergency Economic 

14 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 

15 necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in 

16 property and interests in property of a foreign per17 son described in subsection (b) if such property and 

18 interests in property are in the United States, come 

19 within the United States, or are or come within the 

20 possession or control of a United States person. 

21 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

22 PAROLE.— 

23 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

24 alien described in subsection (b) is— 

25 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 


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1 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

2 documentation to enter the United States; 

3 and 

4 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

5 or paroled into the United States or to re6 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra7 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

8 seq.). 

9 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—An alien described 

11 in subsection (b) is subject to revocation of 

12 any visa or other entry documentation re13 gardless of when the visa or other entry 

14 documentation is or was issued. 

15 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca16 tion under clause (i) shall— 

17 (I) take effect immediately; and 

18 (II) automatically cancel any 

19 other valid visa or entry documenta20 tion that is in the possession of the 

21 alien. 

22 (d) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, attempts to 

23 violate, conspires to violate, or causes a violation of this 

24 section or any regulation, license, or order issued to carry 

25 out this section shall be subject to the penalties set forth 


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1 in subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter2 national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 

3 1705) to the same extent as a person that commits an 

4 unlawful act described in subsection (a) of such section. 

5 (e) EXCEPTIONS.— 

6 (1) EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF

7 GOODS.—A requirement to block and prohibit all 

8 transactions in all property and interests in property 

9 pursuant to sanctions under subsection (b) shall not 

10 include the authority or a requirement to impose 

11 sanctions on the importation of goods. 

12 (2) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH THE UNITED

13 NATIONS HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT AND LAW EN14 FORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under sub15 section (b) shall not apply with respect to the admis16 sion of an alien to the United States if admitting or 

17 paroling the alien into the United States is nec18 essary— 

19 (A) to permit the United States to comply 

20 with the Agreement regarding the Head21 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

22 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

23 November 21, 1947, between the United Na24 tions and the United States, or other applicable 


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1 international obligations of the United States; 

2 or 

3 (B) to carry out or assist authorized law 

4 enforcement activity in the United States. 

5 (3) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTEL6 LIGENCE ACTIVITIES.—Sanctions under subsection 

7 (b) shall not apply with respect to— 

8 (A) any activity subject to the reporting 

9 requirements under title V of the National Se10 curity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.); or 

11 (B) any authorized intelligence activities of 

12 the United States. 

13 (4) HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions 

14 under subsection (b) shall not apply with respect 

15 to— 

16 (A) the conduct or facilitation of a trans17 action for the provision of agricultural commod18 ities, food, medicine, medical devices, or human19 itarian assistance, or for humanitarian pur20 poses; or 

21 (B) transactions that are necessary for, or 

22 related to, the activities described in subpara23 graph (A). 

24 (f) NATIONAL INTEREST WAIVER.—The President 

25 may waive the application of sanctions under subsection 


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1 (b) with respect to a foreign person if the President deter2 mines and reports to the appropriate committees of Con3 gress, not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take 

4 effect, that the waiver is in the national interest of the 

5 United States. 

6 (g) TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS.—The President 

7 may terminate the application of sanctions under sub8 section (b) with respect to a foreign person if the Presi9 dent certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress 

10 that— 

11 (1) such person— 

12 (A) is not engaging in the activity that was 

13 the basis for such sanctions; or 

14 (B) has taken significant, verifiable steps 

15 toward stopping the activity that was the basis 

16 for such sanctions; and 

17 (2) the President has received reliable assur18 ances that such person will not knowingly engage in 

19 any activity subject to sanctions in the future. 

20 (h) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to be effective 

21 beginning on the date that is 3 years after the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF HUMANITARIAN AND DEVEL2 OPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR LEBANON. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) the people of Lebanon have hosted an esti6 mated 1,500,000 Syrian refugees since the Syrian 

7 civil war began in 2011, sheltering them from the 

8 brutality of the Assad regime and its Russian and 

9 Iranian enablers; 

10 (2) the chronic nature of the Syrian conflict 

11 and the inability of Syrian refugees to safely return 

12 home has strained the Lebanese economy and the 

13 services provided by the Government of Lebanon; 

14 (3) the people of Lebanon have been severely 

15 harmed by the combination of the Lebanese financial 

16 crisis and the Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 

17 2020, making them even more vulnerable during the 

18 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; and 

19 (4) more than 1,000,000 civilians in Lebanon 

20 have been internally displaced due to the recent 

21 fighting with insufficient time to develop a coordi22 nated humanitarian response. 

23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.—The Adminis24 trator of the United States Agency for International De25 velopment and the Secretary of State should continue to 

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1 placed individuals and host communities in Lebanon, in2 cluding— 

3 (1) health assistance, including logistical and 

4 technical assistance to hospitals, ambulances, and 

5 health clinics in affected communities, and the provi6 sion of basic public health commodities; 

7 (2) services, such as medicines and medical sup8 plies and equipment; 

9 (3) assistance to provide— 

10 (A) protection, food, and shelter; and 

11 (B) water, sanitation, and hygiene (collec12 tively referred to as ‘‘WASH’’); and 

13 (4) technical assistance to ensure health, food, 

14 and commodities are appropriately selected, pro15 cured, targeted, monitored, and distributed. 

16 (c) STRATEGY.—Not later than 90 days after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

18 in coordination with the Administrator of the United 

19 States Agency for International Development, shall submit 

20 a strategy to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

21 Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

22 House of Representatives that describes— 

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1 tions, and nongovernmental organizations, will ad2 dress the humanitarian situation in Lebanon; 

3 (2) diplomatic efforts carried out by the United 

4 States Government to encourage strategic burden 

5 sharing and the coordination of donations with inter6 national donors, including foreign governments and 

7 multilateral organizations, to advance the provision 

8 of humanitarian assistance to the people of Lebanon, 

9 especially internally displaced people; and 

10 (3) how the United States Government is— 

11 (A) mitigating risk of diversion or benefit 

12 to non-state armed groups in Lebanon, particu13 larly Hezbollah; and 

14 (B) ensuring effective delivery of assist15 ance. 

16 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SECU17 RITY ASSISTANCE TO THE LEBANESE ARMED 

18 FORCES AND THE INTERNAL SECURITY 

19 FORCES DIRECTORATE. 

20 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

22 appropriated to the Secretary of State, for each of 

23 the fiscal years 2025 through 2029, in addition to 

24 amounts already authorized to be appropriated for 

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1 thorized or appropriated by any other Act of Con2 gress for such purposes— 

3 (A) $75,000,000 for Foreign Military Fi4 nancing; 

5 (B) $10,00,000 for International Narcotics 

6 Control and Law Enforcement; 

7 (C) $4,000,000 for Nonproliferation, Anti8 terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs; 

9 and 

10 (D) $1,000,000 International Military 

11 Education and Training. 

12 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts appropriated 

13 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be used by the Sec14 retary of State to build the capacity of the Lebanese 

15 Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces Di16 rectorate, including by— 

17 (A) countering Iranian proxy forces oper18 ating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, Hamas, 

19 and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; 

20 (B) fully implementing all relevant United 

21 Nations Security Council resolutions; and 

22 (C) countering and interdicting captagon 

23 production and trafficking in Lebanon. 

24 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 15 days 

25 before the obligation of any funds appropriated pursuant 


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1 to subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall brief the 

2 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 

3 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa4 tives regarding— 

5 (1) the steps taken during the previous year by 

6 the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Secu7 rity Forces Directorate to counter Iranian proxy 

8 forces operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, 

9 Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; 

10 (2) the steps taken during the previous year by 

11 the Lebanese Armed Forces, in cooperation with the 

12 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to imple13 ment its mission under the terms of United Nations 

14 Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006); 

15 (3) the steps taken during the previous year by 

16 Lebanese security institutions to counter the produc17 tion and trafficking of captagon in Lebanon; 

18 (4) how the production and trafficking of 

19 captagon has harmed the Lebanese economy and 

20 benefitted Hezbollah and whether Hezbollah is ac21 tively engaged in the production and trafficking of 

22 captagon; 

23 (5) how United States assistance created or 

24 augmented the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed 

25 Forces and the Internal Security Forces Directorate 


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1 to undertake the steps described in paragraphs (1) 

2 through (3); 

3 (6) how the assistance authorized under sub4 section (a) will further improve the capabilities of 

5 the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Secu6 rity Forces Directorate to counter Iranian proxy 

7 forces operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, 

8 Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; and 

9 (7) how the assistance authorized under sub10 section (a) will further increase the capacity of the 

11 Lebanese Armed Forces to partner with the United 

12 Nations Interim Force in Lebanon to implement the 

13 terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 

14 1701 (2006). 

15 (c) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.— 

16 (1) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FUNDS.—Sub17 ject to paragraphs (2) and (3), during fiscal years 

18 2025 and 2026, amounts appropriated to the De19 partment of Defense for purposes described in title 

20 10, United States Code may be transferred by the 

21 Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Sec22 retary of State, to the Foreign Military Financing 

23 Program to directly benefit the Government of Leb24 anon, in accordance with procedures established for 

25 reprogramming under section 1001 of the National 


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1 Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 

2 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 378 et seq.) and any 

3 relevant successor provisions of law. 

4 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts transferred to 

5 the Foreign Military Financing Program pursuant 

6 to paragraph shall be prioritized for building the ca7 pacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Inter8 nal Security Forces Directorate, including by fully 

9 implementing all relevant United Nations Security 

10 Council resolutions. 

11 (3) LIMITATION.—The total amount of funds 

12 transferred by the Department of Defense to the 

13 Foreign Military Financing Program in any fiscal 

14 year may not exceed $400,000,000. 

15 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR INCEN16 TIVE FUND FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF 

17 LEBANESE GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND IN18 FRASTRUCTURE. 

19 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS.—In addition to 

20 amounts already authorized to be appropriated for such 

21 purposes and in addition to any amounts authorized or 

22 appropriated by any other Act of Congress for such pur23 poses, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec24 retary of State, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

25 2029, $50,000,000, which shall be expended for— 


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1 (1) the reconstruction of services and institu2 tions of the Government of Lebanon and of munic3 ipal governments in Lebanon; and 

4 (2) the building and rebuilding of civilian infra5 structure in Lebanon. 

6 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Amounts appropriated 

7 pursuant to subsection (a) may not be obligated or ex8 pended unless the Secretary of State submits an annual 

9 written report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

10 the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

11 House of Representatives— 

12 (1) certifying that— 

13 (A) the expenditure of such amounts will 

14 not directly benefit Hezbollah; 

15 (B) any civilian infrastructure rebuilt with 

16 such amounts has not and will not be used to 

17 shelter weapons belonging to Hezbollah, or 

18 other non-state armed groups in Lebanon, in19 cluding Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; 

20 (C) accounting, monitoring, evaluation and 

21 oversight procedures are in place to prevent the 

22 diversion of such amounts to Hezbollah, other 

23 non-state armed groups in Lebanon, or affili24 ates of Hezbollah or any such group; 


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1 (D) such amounts are being used for the 

2 purposes for which they were obligated; and 

3 (E) the United States Government is tak4 ing significant steps to encourage donations for 

5 similar purposes from other countries and enti6 ties, including Japan, the United Kingdom, the 

7 European Union and its member states, and 

8 the member states of the Gulf Cooperation 

9 Council; and 

10 (2) describing— 

11 (A) the manner and nature of Hezbollah’s 

12 participation in the Government of Lebanon 

13 and in municipal governments in Lebanon, in14 cluding a description of any ministries and mu15 nicipal governments that are controlled by 

16 Hezbollah, are led by members of Hezbollah, or 

17 employ significant numbers of Hezbollah mem18 bers; 

19 (B) the steps taken during the previous 

20 year to prevent United States Government as21 sistance, including the amounts authorized to 

22 be appropriated pursuant to subsection (a), 

23 from being used by ministries of the Govern24 ment of Lebanon or municipal governments in 

25 Lebanon that are controlled by Hezbollah, are 


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1 led by members of Hezbollah, or employ signifi2 cant numbers of Hezbollah members; 

3 (C) the steps that will be taken during the 

4 next year to prevent United States Government 

5 assistance, including the amounts authorized to 

6 be appropriated pursuant to subsection (a), 

7 from being used by the Government of Lebanon 

8 or municipal governments in Lebanon that are 

9 controlled by Hezbollah, are led by members of 

10 Hezbollah, or employ significant numbers of 

11 Hezbollah members; 

12 (D) which ministries and municipal gov13 ernments are not controlled by Hezbollah, are 

14 not led by members of Hezbollah, and do not 

15 employ significant numbers of Hezbollah mem16 bers and are eligible to receive United States 

17 Government assistance, including the amounts 

18 authorized to be appropriated pursuant to sub19 section (a) and how such amounts will be used 

20 to support or reconstruct the institutions of 

21 such ministries and municipalities and the serv22 ices they provide; 

23 (E) the steps that will be taken during the 

24 next year to prevent civilian infrastructure from 

25 being used to shelter weapons used by 


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1 Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or 

2 any other non-stated armed group in Lebanon; 

3 (F) the steps taken during the previous 

4 year to prevent civilian infrastructure from 

5 being used to shelter weapons used by 

6 Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or 

7 any other non-stated armed group in Lebanon; 

8 (G) the accounting, monitoring, evaluation 

9 and oversight procedures implemented during 

10 the previous year to prevent the diversion of the 

11 United States Government assistance, including 

12 the amounts authorized to be appropriated pur13 suant to subsection (a), to Hezbollah or other 

14 non-state armed groups in Lebanon or their af15 filiates and to ensure such amounts are being 

16 used for the purposes for which they were obli17 gated; 

18 (H) the accounting, monitoring, evaluation 

19 and oversight procedures that will be imple20 mented during the next year to prevent the di21 version of the United States Government assist22 ance, including the amounts authorized to be 

23 appropriated pursuant to subsection (a), to 

24 Hezbollah or other non-state armed groups in 

25 Lebanon or their affiliates and that such 


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1 amounts are being used for the purposes for 

2 which they were obligated; and 

3 (I) the steps taken by the United States 

4 Government to encourage donations from other 

5 countries for similar purposes, which countries 

6 have donated for similar purposes, and the 

7 amounts of such donations. 

8 (c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (b) 

9 shall be unclassified, but may include a classified annex 

10 that is submitted to Congress separately from the unclas11 sified portion. 

12 SEC. 9. LOKMAN SLIM EXCELLENCE IN LEBANESE INVES13 TIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD. 

14 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

15 (1) On February 3, 2021, prominent Lebanese 

16 activist and journalist Lokman Slim was found mur17 dered in the Hezbollah-controlled Al Zahrani dis18 trict. 

19 (2) Mr. Slim was a strong critic of Hezbollah 

20 and faced harassment and threats from Hezbollah 

21 and Hezbollah-aligned groups. 

22 (3) Mr. Slim devoted his life to bringing about 

23 positive change in Lebanon and bravely pushed for 

24 justice, accountability, and rule of law. 


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1 (4) Despite promises by former President 

2 Michel Aoun and other Lebanese Government offi3 cials, Mr. Slim’s killer has not been found and a 

4 credible investigation into his murder has not been 

5 launched by Lebanese Government authorities. 

6 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT8 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com9 mittees’’ means— 

10 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

11 the Senate; 

12 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 

13 the Senate; 

14 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

15 the House of Representatives; and 

16 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 

17 the House of Representatives. 

18 (2) AWARD.—The term ‘‘Award’’ means the 

19 award established pursuant to subsection (c). 

20 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF AWARD.—The Secretary of 

21 State is authorized to establish an award, which shall be 

22 known as the ‘‘Lokman Slim Excellence in Lebanese In23 vestigative Journalism Award’’, for extraordinary efforts 

24 in investigative journalism inside Lebanon, including in 


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1 the face of harassment, detention, prosecution, or obstruc2 tion. 

3 (d) PRESENTATION OF AWARD.—To the maximum 

4 extent practicable, the Secretary of State shall annually 

5 present the Award to not more than 3 individuals or orga6 nizations that are— 

7 (1) United States citizens or foreign nationals 

8 engaged in investigative journalism focused on Leb9 anon; or 

10 (2) United States or foreign private or non11 governmental organizations engaged in investigative 

12 journalism focused on Lebanon. 

13 (e) SELECTION.—The Secretary of State shall estab14 lish procedures for selecting recipients of the Award. 

15 (f) REPORT.—The Secretary of State shall submit an 

16 annual report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

17 the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

18 House of Representatives that— 

19 (1) lists the Award recipients for such year; and 

20 (2) includes an explanation of each recipient’s 

21 selection according to the procedures authorized 

22 under subsection (e). 

23 (g) CEREMONY.—The Secretary of State should host 

24 an annual ceremony for recipients of the Award as soon 

25 as practicable after the date on which the Secretary subVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:06 Jan 21, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5574.IS S5574

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1 mits the report required under subsection (f). The Sec2 retary of State may pay the travel costs of each Award 

3 recipient and a guest of each Award recipient who attends 

4 such ceremony. 

5 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 are authorized to be appropriated, for each of the fiscal 

7 years 2025 through 2029, such sums as may be necessary 

8 to carry out this section. 

9 SEC. 10. COUNTERING THE PRODUCTION AND TRAF10 FICKING OF CAPTAGON FROM AND THROUGH 

11 LEBANON. 

12 (a) PROGRAM TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF THE

13 LEBANESE ARMED FORCES AND THE INTERNAL SECU14 RITY FORCES DIRECTORATE WITH RESPECT TO

15 CAPTAGON.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 660 

17 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

18 2420), the Secretary of State shall establish a pro19 gram to provide assistance to strengthen the capac20 ity of Lebanese security institutions to identify, 

21 track, and improve their forensics detection capabili22 ties with respect to captagon. 

23 (2) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The program 

24 required under paragraph (1)— 


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1 (A) shall be limited to individuals who have 

2 expertise and experience in matters described in 

3 paragraph (1); and 

4 (B) may be carried out, in the case of in5 bound exchanges, as part of exchange programs 

6 and international visitor programs administered 

7 by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Af8 fairs of the Department of State, including the 

9 International Visitor Leadership Program, in 

10 coordination with the Bureau of International 

11 Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State, 

14 in addition to amounts already authorized or appropriated 

15 for such purposes and in addition to any amounts author16 ized or appropriated by any other Act of Congress, for 

17 each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2029, $5,000,000 

18 for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforce19 ment, which shall be used to carry out subsection (a). 

20 SEC. 11. LIVELIHOOD AND SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE TO 

21 THE LEBANESE ARMED FORCES AND THE IN22 TERNAL SECURITY FORCES DIRECTORATE. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 (1) PEACEKEEPING.—There is authorized to be 

25 appropriated to the Secretary of State, in addition 


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1 to amounts already authorized or appropriated for 

2 such purposes and in addition to any amounts au3 thorized or appropriated by any other Act of Con4 gress, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

5 2027, $10,000,000 for Peacekeeping Operations, 

6 which shall be used to help pay the salaries of mem7 bers of the Lebanese Armed Forces. 

8 (2) LAW ENFORCEMENT.—There is authorized 

9 to be appropriated to the Secretary of State, in addi10 tion to amounts already authorized or appropriated 

11 for such purposes and in addition to any amounts 

12 authorized or appropriated by any other Act of Con13 gress, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

14 2027, $5,000,000 for International Narcotics Con15 trol and Law Enforcement, which shall be used to 

16 help pay the salaries of members of the Internal Se17 curity Forces Directorate. 

18 (3) ECONOMIC SUPPORT.—There is authorized 

19 to be appropriated to the Secretary of State, in addi20 tion to amounts already authorized or appropriated 

21 for such purposes and in addition to any amounts 

22 authorized or appropriated by any other Act of Con23 gress, for fiscal year 2025, $2,000,000 for Economic 

24 Support Funds, which shall be used to help pay un25 dergraduate tuition for the children of members of 


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1 the Lebanese Armed Forces attending campuses of 

2 United States universities that are based in Leb3 anon. 

4 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later that 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec7 retary of State shall submit a report to the Com8 mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 

9 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep10 resentatives that describes the effect of the amounts 

11 appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) on the re12 tention and readiness of the Lebanese Armed Forces 

13 and the Internal Security Forces Directorate. 

14 (2) FORM.—The report required under para15 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

16 but may contain a classified annex. 

17 SEC. 12. EDUCATION FOR LEBANESE HOST COMMUNITIES. 

18 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS FOR HIGHER EDU19 CATION IN LEBANON.—There is authorized to be appro20 priated, for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2027, 

21 in addition to amounts already authorized and appro22 priated for such purposes, in addition to amounts already 

23 authorized or appropriated for such purposes and in addi24 tion to any amounts authorized or appropriated by any 

25 other Act of Congress, $15,000,000 in Economic Support 


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1 Funds, which shall be used to support universities in Leb2 anon that are patterned after United States universities. 

3 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS FOR LEBANESE PRI4 MARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated, for each of the fiscal years 

6 2025 through 2027, in addition to amounts already au7 thorized or appropriated for such purposes and in addition 

8 to any amounts authorized or appropriated by any other 

9 Act of Congress, $20,000,000 in Economic Support 

10 Funds, which shall be used to support primary and sec11 ondary education for Lebanese host communities in Leb12 anon. 

Æ 


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