December 20, 2025 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

On December 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the USD 900 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 into law.

Against initial hopes, the MEGOBARI Act, which foresees sanctions against Georgian Dream officials, was not included in the bill’s final version. Despite intensive bipartisan efforts to attach the act to the NDAA, the primary “must-pass” legislative vehicle that would make the MEGOBARI’s adoption a smoother process, it was ultimately stripped out during final negotiations.

But this does not mean the MEGOBARI Act is dead. The bill is currently stalled in the Senate amid reported opposition to unanimous consent. The observers say it could still return to the Senate agenda in 2026, including as a standalone measure brought to the floor for a vote. However, that path would be more difficult and demanding.

Anna Kalandadze is an award-winning journalist based in Washington, DC. She has covered developments in Georgia, across Europe, and in the United States for over two decades.

The MEGOBARI Act, which stands for Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence, with its acronym denoting “friend” in Georgian, is a legislative effort aimed at supporting Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. It targets government officials involved in corruption or anti-democratic actions, and foresees visa bans and asset freezes on designated officials and foreign persons.

The bill passed the House as a standalone bill in May 2025 with overwhelming bipartisan support. Its lead sponsor, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), later sought to fold the text into the House version of the NDAA to guarantee its passage.

Proponents made a final push to include the bill in NDAA during the “Conference Committee,” where House and Senate leaders reconcile their different versions of the bill. However, opposition, primarily in the Senate, could not be overcome. The final negotiated text, released on December 7, 2025, and passed by the House on December 10, excluded the MEGOBARI provisions.

This means that the MEGOBARI Act remains an active, standalone bill in the 119th Congress, but its path forward is narrow.

The Standalone Path: Challenges and Deadlines

The bill currently remains stalled on the Senate Legislative Calendar. Because it was omitted from the “must-pass” NDAA, it must now be passed as independent legislation or attached to a different spending package in 2026.

MEGOBARI is currently blocked by a “hold” from Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. In the Senate, a single lawmaker can stall a bill by signaling that they will object to unanimous consent, a common shortcut procedure used to fast-track legislation without requiring a more complex and formal floor vote process.

12/12/2025 – Georgian Ambassador to U.S. Meets Senator Mullin Amid Uncertainty Over MEGOBARI Act

To move forward, the bill’s supporters would now need Senate leaders to bypass the hold and force the bill onto the floor. That would require following the Senate’s normal, slower process, including debate and several votes. One of those votes, needed to stop debate and allow a final vote on the bill, would require the backing of at least 60 out of 100 senators.

If the Senate does not act before the 119th Congress concludes at the end of 2026, the bill will “die” and must be reintroduced in the next session.

West’s ‘Incoherent’ Approach

Ambassador Michael Carpenter, who has worked in senior government roles in both Republican and Democratic administrations and is now a Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggests that while difficult, the bill still has a window of opportunity before 2026 expires.

“I think it’s entirely possible that the MEGOBARI bill will be put back on the agenda in 2026,” Carpenter noted. “But its passage will depend on how vocal Republicans are on this issue heading into next year’s midterm elections.”

Carpenter highlighted the complexity of the situation, noting that the Trump administration appears internally divided on Georgia policy, mirroring a similarly “incoherent approach” from European allies. He was blunt regarding the status quo in Tbilisi: “Georgia has clearly crossed the line from democracy into authoritarianism. It would be best if the EU and the U.S. aligned their policies around a combination of carrots and sticks to press Tbilisi to back away from its repression of civil society.”

Ambassador Daniel Fried, a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council and former Assistant Secretary of State, echoed the need for urgency, stating to Civil.ge that “it is time to put additional pressure on the Georgian government for its repression at home.”

Role of Diaspora

As the legislative battle moves into 2026, Salome Tsereteli-Stephens, President of the Georgian Association, the oldest Georgian diaspora group in the U.S., emphasized the vital role of the community in keeping this issue on the Congressional agenda.

“Georgians across different states have been advocating for continued ties between the two countries, but more can be done,” Tsereteli-Stephens said. She urged Georgian-Americans to visit congressional offices and share their stories to amplify the issue.

While specific language has yet to reach the Senate floor for a vote, she remains optimistic about the underlying sentiment in Washington: “Legislation in the U.S. Congress has gained momentum in support of the Georgian people… there is strong bipartisan support for a strong and democratic Georgia.”

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, the diaspora continues to count on the enduring partnership between the United States and a free, democratic Georgia.

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