I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2913 
To designate Lebanon under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act to permit nationals of Lebanon to be eligible for temporary protected 
status under such section, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2023 
Ms. TLAIB (for herself and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To designate Lebanon under section 244 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Lebanon to 
be eligible for temporary protected status under such 
section, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lebanon TPS Act of 
2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) On August 4, 2020, one of the most power-
ful explosions ever to impact an urban population 
ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut. The 
blast—linked to 2,750 metric tons of ammonium ni-
trate stored in a warehouse—killed at least 220 peo-
ple, wounded approximately 7,000, left an estimated 
300,000 people homeless, and caused approximately 
$15,000,000,000 in property damage. 
(2) The COVID–19 pandemic has taken a 
heavy toll on Lebanon, which has recorded over 
1,235,000 cases and 10,800 deaths since the pan-
demic began. Lebanon’s public health system, al-
ready weakened by the Beirut disaster and political 
upheaval, has struggled to cope in the face of the 
pandemic. 
(3) Lebanon lacked a fully formed government 
for much of the COVID–19 pandemic and the polit-
ical establishment remains highly polarized and di-
vided. The political crisis has become so severe that 
on April 18, 2023 Lebanon’s parliament voted to ex-
tend the terms of municipal councils and other local 
officials to avoid further paralysis. The current gov-
ernment is acting in a caretaker capacity and the 
presidency has been empty since President Aoun’s 
term expired in October 2022. 
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(4) Lebanon has been experiencing one of the 
worst economic crises in its history at the same time 
as the COVID–19 pandemic, Beirut Port explosion, 
and political crisis. 
(5) According to the United Nations, over 
3,500,000 Lebanese people are estimated to live in 
poverty and around three-quarters are now income 
vulnerable. Before the value of the Lebanese pound 
started spiraling in late 2019, the country’s monthly 
minimum wage was 675,000 pounds—about $450— 
but today it is worth less than $7. 
(6) Per the United Nations, 36 percent of the 
Lebanese population (1,380,000 people) is experi-
encing extreme poverty. 
(7) Since October 2019, the Lebanese pound 
has lost more than 95 percent of its value, placing 
Lebanon amongst the top 5 economic crises globally 
according to the World Bank. 
(8) Food prices have skyrocketed throughout 
the crisis, increasing 400 percent in 2020 alone. 
(9) In July 2021, the United Nations Chil-
dren’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that Lebanon’s 
water system is on the verge of collapse, with more 
than 70 percent of the country facing critical water 
shortages. In January 2019, 1,000 Lebanese pounds 
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