Lebanese officials were warned that the U.S. Congress may discontinue military assistance if Hezbollah and its allies take over government. With the new cabinet dominated by Hezbollah, some lawmakers are moving to end all assistance, while others are offering a more nuanced approach by introducing the Hezbollah Anti Terrorism Act (HATA) legislation that would limit, but not end, U.S. assistance. 

The first group, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, hopes to stop all aid to Lebanon. Ros-Lehtinen holds that since the new cabinet is dominated by Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., then all aid must stop immediately.

Another viewpoint on the hill, supported by Lebanese-American members of Congress, allows for continued assistance in specific fields. The bipartisan group, which includes Congressmen Darrell Issa, Charles Boustany and Nick Rahall, supports HATA, which was introduced by Rep. Howard Berman in an effort to prevent aid from benefiting Hezbollah, while continuing to help Lebanon. HATA also includes an important presidential waiver that would allow for overriding aid restrictions on grounds of U.S. national interests. "The goal is to signal to American friends in Lebanon that we will continue to support them, while we vigorously oppose Hezbollah," a summary of the bill reads.

According to the bill, U.S. military hardware transfers would cease, but it allows for continued security training and exchange programs between the two countries. It also sanctions humanitarian assistance and democracy-building programs. However, the bill requires close monitoring of the receiving end to ensure that U.S. money does not reach Hezbollah.

HATA has been introduced but it still needs to be ratified by the House and the Senate. Some believe that Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, who refused to co-sponsor the proposed legislation, will not allow it to be discussed on the House Foreign Affairs Committee floor. Instead, she may seek to include stricter provisions or completely do away with HATA in favor of a complete halt in aid. The coming weeks will witness much political maneuvering over this issue.

Overall, U.S. aid to Lebanon reaches around $200 million per year, half of which is in security assistance, while the rest is economic. Lebanon's new political orientation risks isolating it from the international community, an issue that various countries have raised with Lebanese officials. Meanwhile, Iran rose to the occasion, declaring that it would be willing to start funding the Lebanese army.

Lebanese-American organizations and friends of Lebanon in Washington have long been making the case for the Lebanese military establishment and its importance for the country's sovereignty and independence. Yet given the recent developments in Beirut and on Capitol Hill, HATA may now be Lebanon's best bet at maintaining some U.S. security training and economic assistance.