III 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 581 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 21, 2006 Mr. Bunning (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, and Mr. Vitter) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Condemning the anti-democratic actions of President Hugo Chavez and admonishing the statements made by him to the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006.

Whereas, to consolidate his powers, President Chavez rewrote the constitution of Venezuela after he was elected in 1998; Whereas, in August 2004, President Chavez survived a recall vote through intimidation and other undemocratic actions; Whereas President Chavez has decreed that all private property deemed not in productive use will be confiscated by the government of Venezuela and redistributed to third parties; Whereas President Chavez has enacted a media responsibility law placing restrictions on broadcast media coverage, imposing severe penalties for violations, and using other legal methods to intimidate media outlets that criticize his government; Whereas changes imposed by President Chavez to the penal code of Venezuela have threatened the freedom of expression and freedom of association once enjoyed by the citizens of Venezuela, and have increased jail terms for those convicted of criticizing the government of that country; Whereas President Chavez and his supporters have stated their intention to use their full control of the national assembly to change the constitution of Venezuela to allow President Chavez to remain in power until 2030, a period of time that exceeds the current constitutional limits of Venezuela; Whereas, in an effort to destabilize the already fragile democratic governments of other countries in the region, President Chavez is supporting radical forces in Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador, as well as leftist parties in those countries; Whereas President Chavez has repeatedly stated his desire to unite Latin America to serve as a buffer against the United States; Whereas President Chavez has aligned himself with countries that are classified by the Department of State as sponsors of terrorism; Whereas President Chavez has developed a close relationship with the Dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro; Whereas President Chavez has also associated himself with other dictators, including Kim Jong Il of North Korea and the totalitarian regime of Iran; Whereas President Chavez was allowed to promote hatred in a speech which he delivered at the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006, and referred to the President of the United States as the devil; Whereas President Chavez referred to the President of the United States as the spokesman of imperialism for the efforts of the United States to aid the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq in the goal of those citizens to create a permanent and viable representative government; and Whereas President Chavez made unsubstantial claims that the United States has set in motion a coup in Venezuela and continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere: Now, therefore, be it

that the Senate condemns President Chavez for his anti-democratic actions and his statements made at the United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006.