US MEGOBARI Act moves forward through Senate

On Thursday, the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee approved the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act (friend in Georgian), which would impose additional punitive measures on the ruling Georgian Dream party if it becomes law.

The bill — Mobilising and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI) — also reaffirms support for Georgian civil society, and contains provisions to boost bilateral cooperation, as well as liberalise the visa policy for Georgian citizens, if the country’s democratic backsliding is reversed.

The act was first introduced by Republican Representative Joe Wilson amidst widespread protests against Georgia’s controversial foreign agent law in May 2024, and has since been met with bipartisan support in the Congress and Senate.

Earlier this month, Republican Senator Jim Risch and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen reintroduced the act in the US Senate.

Another bill, the Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition Act, was introduced by Wilson in January 2025. It has not been held for an official vote.

There is a third piece of legislation with similar aims, the Georgian People’s Act, which has also not been held for an official vote.

The MEGOBARI Act has moved the farthest in the US legislative process, but still has several steps to go before it becomes law — it must be passed by the full Senate, after which the bill is sent to the Congress, and then, if no changes are made, it can be signed by US President Donald Trump.

So far, the MEGOBARI Act and other proposed legislation targeting Georgian Dream have enjoyed bipartisan support, but due to the chaotic nature of Congress, and the vast array of other legislative priorities, it is difficult to say when, or if, the MEGOBARI Act will become law.

Georgian Dream officials again lashed out against the bill, both before and after it was approved by the committee.

Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream General Secretary Kakha Kaladze said on Thursday that the MEGOBARI Act is ‘unfriendly’ and ‘has absolutely no connection to the Georgian people or their interests’.

The comments were echoed by Georgian Dream MP Nino Tsilosani, who called the act ‘more hostile than friendly’.

Instead, Kaladze said the act serves the so-called ‘deep state’, a term used by the ruling party to describe shadowy forces that have allegedly been trying to pull Georgia into war and overthrow the government. The term has also been used by Trump in his own attacks on career government employees and civil servants.

Repeating previous pandering comments to the new US administration, Kaladze said that ‘we support President Trump and his team, and we hope he will succeed in defeating the deep state’.

‘If he does not, we will, of course, continue to defend Georgia, ensuring that no one — just as they have not been able to until now — can exploit Georgia’s interests for their own gain’, Kaladze concluded.

Council of Europe says there is ‘rapid and dramatic democratic backsliding’ in Georgia

The Congress of the Council of Europe also adopted a memorandum recommending repressive Georgian legislation be repealed.

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