The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, endorsed by the Senate, does not mention the MEGOBARI Act.

The MEGOBARI Act [abbreviation means ‘friend’ in the Georgian language; the full name of the bill is the Mobilising and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act], drafted by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, received no support in the Senate, although its author had called for its urgent adoption.

On September 11, Democrat Congressman Steve Cohen said at the Helsinki Commission meeting: “Unfortunately, the Senate didn’t pass, and it looks like they’re not going to pass the MEGOBARI Act. There were some problems over there, and it might have been related to one particular business that’s building a port,” emphasising that one individual was able to “apparently kill it.”

After that, following the meeting of the United National Movement (UNM) leaders with Congressman Joe Wilson, UNM Chair Tina Bokuchava said: Active discussions are underway, including in the Senate, to link the MEGOBARI Act to the Defence Act, which has been adopted by Congress for 63 consecutive years. It is expected to pass again this year, with a strong possibility that the MEGOBARI Act will be adopted alongside it. This would create the basis for imposing personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili.”

On the same issue The Hill wrote in its article that supporters of the MEGOCARI Act in the Senate “were standing in the way of a bipartisan push to tighten sanctions on the country of Georgia, which lawmakers and advocates say is the best way to stand up for pro-democracy forces and counter Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in the country.”

Senator Roger Wicker told The Hill that the MEGOBARI Act could be added to the Defence Authorisation Act as an amendment.

The MEGOBARI Act (short for Mobilising and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act) called for a comprehensive review of U.S.-Georgia relations, support for the “Georgian people’s pro-Western aspirations”, and accountability for individuals involved in “anti-democratic actions in the country, including members of the ruling Georgian Dream party.