bought 4 liters of water. By August 2021, it only 
bought half a liter. 
(10) In October 2022, Lebanon reported its 
first cholera cases in 30 years, with 5,819 suspected 
and confirmed cases and 23 deaths reported by De-
cember 31, 2022. 
(11) Dire fuel shortages plague Lebanon, lead-
ing the American University of Beirut Medical Cen-
ter, Beirut’s top hospital and one of the leading 
medical centers in the region, to issue a warning in 
August 2021 that hundreds of patients would die if 
they failed to secure enough fuel to keep their gen-
erators running. 
(12) The United Nations has reported that, as 
of December 2022, the mass exodus of public health 
workers from Lebanon has continued with dev-
astating effect, with approximately 40 percent of 
doctors, 15 percent of specialized neonatal intensive 
care unit nurses, and 30 percent of midwives leaving 
the country over the course of the crisis. This has 
resulted in critical gaps in the quality, availability, 
and accessibility of health care for the population. 
(13) The combined crises have strained many of 
Lebanon’s public institutions to the breaking point, 
including the Lebanese Army, whose budget and sol-
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diers’ salaries have been devastated by the devalu-
ation of the Lebanese pound. 
(14) On October 14, 2021, gunmen fired on a 
crowd of protestors gathered near the Beirut Justice 
Palace sparking heavy armed clashes in nearby 
neighborhoods. The ensuing fighting killed at least 7 
individuals and wounded more than 30 others. 
(15) Numerous residents of Beirut living in the 
vicinity of the clashes have been quoted by domestic 
and international media comparing the October 14th 
clashes and ongoing tensions to the devastating 
1975–1990 Lebanese civil war, reflecting well-found-
ed fears of the potential for a return to significant 
sectarian violence. 
(16) The United States has long stood with the 
Lebanese people in times of need and standing with 
them now is both morally right and in line with our 
national interests. 
(17) In the aftermath of the Beirut Port explo-
sion, President Biden’s pledge of an additional 
$98,000,000 in aid to Lebanon on the first anniver-
sary of the disaster was a good first step in sup-
porting the Lebanese people. Designating Lebanon 
for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is the logical 
next step given the circumstances. 
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(18) Lebanon needs significant continued inter-
national support to prevent the worsening of its eco-
nomic, social, political, and public health crises and 
to rebuild from this period of extraordinary difficulty 
for the Lebanese people. 
(19) A report from FWD.us published in Feb-
ruary 2023 estimated that 12,000 individuals in the 
United States would be eligible for TPS if Lebanon 
was designated, of which 64 percent are members of 
the workforce with an annual economic contribution 
of approximately $420,000,000. 
(20) A country is designated for TPS when it 
is determined by the United States Government that 
it is unsafe for its citizens to return to due to ‘‘ongo-
ing armed conflict’’, ‘‘environmental disaster’’, or 
‘‘extraordinary and temporary conditions in the for-
eign state that prevent aliens who are nationals of 
the state from returning to the state in safety’’. 
(21) As of April 2023, the Department of 
State’s Lebanon Travel Advisory specifically directs 
individuals to ‘‘Reconsider travel to Lebanon due to 
crime, terrorism, armed conflict, civil unrest, kidnap-
ping’’, and goes on to specifically advise that individ-
uals do not travel to ‘‘the border with Syria due to 
terrorism and armed conflict’’, ‘‘the border with 
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Israel due to the potential for armed conflict’’, and 
‘‘refugee settlements due to the potential for armed 
clashes’’. 
(22) The beginning of April 2023 witnessed the 
heaviest and most significant cross border confronta-
tion on the Israeli/Lebanese border since the 2006 
war, raising fears of a broader armed confrontation. 
(23) The combined crises facing Lebanon 
amount to extraordinary and temporary conditions 
that prevent Lebanese nationals from safely return-
ing to Lebanon. Any returned individual would have 
to contend without access to clean water, adequate 
health care, and affordable basic necessities—all in 
the face of the very real threat of significant political 
violence and armed conflict. After years of uncer-
tainty, these individuals deserve stability and tem-
porary relief in the United States. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEM-
PORARY PROTECTED STATUS. 
(a) DESIGNATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 244 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1254a), Lebanon shall be treated as if it had been 
designated under subsection (b)(1)(A) of that sec-
tion, subject to the provisions of this section. 
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(2) PERIOD OF DESIGNATION.—The initial pe-
riod of the designation referred to in paragraph (1) 
shall be for the 18-month period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) ALIENS ELIGIBLE.—As a result of the designa-
tion made under subsection (a), an alien who is a national 
of Lebanon is deemed to satisfy the requirements under 
paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to paragraph 
(3) of such section, if the alien— 
(1) has been continuously physically present in 
the United States since the date of the enactment of 
this Act; 
(2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as 
otherwise provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such sec-
tion, and is not ineligible for temporary protected 
status under paragraph (2)(B) of such section; and 
(3) registers for temporary protected status in 
a manner established by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security. 
(c) CONSENT TO TRAVEL ABROAD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall give prior consent to travel abroad, in 
accordance with section 244(f)(3) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(3)), to 
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an alien who is granted temporary protected status 
pursuant to the designation made under subsection 
(a) if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security that emergency and 
extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the 
alien require the alien to depart for a brief, tem-
porary trip abroad. 
(2) TREATMENT UPON RETURN.—An alien re-
turning to the United States in accordance with an 
authorization described in paragraph (1) shall be 
treated as any other returning alien provided tem-
porary protected status under section 244 of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a). 
SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Æ 
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