[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1018 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1018

To provide humanitarian assistance for the Venezuelan people, to defend 
   democratic governance and combat widespread public corruption in 
                   Venezuela, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 3, 2017

    Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
   Menendez, Mr. McCain, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Kaine, and Mr. Van Hollen) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide humanitarian assistance for the Venezuelan people, to defend 
   democratic governance and combat widespread public corruption in 
                   Venezuela, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Venezuela 
Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 
2017''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 4. Humanitarian assistance for the people of Venezuela.
Sec. 5. Requirement for strategy to coordinate international 
                            humanitarian assistance.
Sec. 6. Support for Organization of American States Inter-American 
                            Democratic Charter.
Sec. 7. Support for international election observation missions and 
                            democratic civil society in Venezuela.
Sec. 8. Support for Caribbean countries.
Sec. 9. Concerns and report on the involvement of Venezuelan officials 
                            in corruption and illicit narcotics 
                            trafficking.
Sec. 10. Sanctions on persons responsible for public corruption and 
                            undermining democratic governance in 
                            Venezuela.
Sec. 11. Concerns over PDVSA transactions with Rosneft.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The deterioration of democratic governance and the 
        economic crisis in Venezuela have led to an unprecedented 
        humanitarian situation in which people are suffering from 
        severe shortages of essential medicines and basic food 
        products.
            (2) According to the World Health Organization, Venezuela 
        had a shortage of necessary medications and medical supplies 
        of--
                    (A) 55 percent in 2014;
                    (B) 67 percent in 2015; and
                    (C) 75 percent in 2016.
            (3) According to a Human Rights Watch 2016 report, it is 
        increasingly difficult for many Venezuelans, particularly those 
        in lower or middle-income families, to obtain adequate 
        nutrition and there are reports of symptoms of malnutrition, 
        particularly in children.
            (4) Despite massive shortages of basic foodstuffs and 
        essential medicines, President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has 
        rejected repeated requests from the Venezuelan National 
        Assembly and civil society organizations to bring humanitarian 
        aid into the country.
            (5) The International Monetary Fund has estimated that in 
        Venezuela in 2016 the country's gross domestic product 
        contracted by 12 percent and inflation rate reached 720 
        percent, and has stated that Venezuela had the worst growth and 
        inflation performance in the world.
            (6) The International Monetary Fund has not convened an 
        Article IV Executive Board consultation for Venezuela since 
        September 13, 2004, which greatly limits the extent of 
        information available to the international community about the 
        severity of the Venezuelan economic crisis.
            (7) Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian 
        crisis is fueling social tensions that are resulting in growing 
        incidents of public unrest, looting, violence among citizens, 
        and an exodus of Venezuelans abroad.
            (8) These social distortions are taking place amidst an 
        alarming climate of criminal violence. According to the United 
        Nations Office on Drug and Crime, Caracas, Venezuela had the 
        highest per capita homicide rate of any capital city in the 
        world in 2015 at 120 murders per 100,000 citizens.
            (9) In 2016, 18,155 Venezuelans submitted asylum requests 
        in the United States, which was greatest number of requests by 
        any nationality, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
        Services.
            (10) International and domestic human rights groups, such 
        as Foro Penal Venezolano, recognize more than 108 political 
        prisoners in Venezuela, including opposition leader and former 
        Chacao mayor Leopoldo Lopez, Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, 
        Caracas Mayor Antonio Jose Ledezma Diaz, National Assembly 
        Deputy Gilber Caro, and former San Cristobal mayor Daniel 
        Ceballos.
            (11) According to media accounts, 29 people lost their 
        lives as the result of public demonstrations and protests in 
        Venezuela in April 2017.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should permit the 
        delivery of international humanitarian assistance to address 
        the widespread and deeply concerning shortages of essential 
        medicines and basic food products faced by the people of 
        Venezuela;
            (2) it is in the best interest of the Venezuelan people for 
        the Government of Venezuela to engage with multilateral and 
        regional economic institutions to ameliorate the effects of the 
        country's ongoing economic, social, and humanitarian crisis;
            (3) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should immediately 
        release all political prisoners and respect internationally 
        recognized human rights in order to facilitate the conditions 
        for political negotiations and dialogue in Venezuela;
            (4) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Supreme 
        Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela should take steps to reinstate 
        the full powers and authorities of the National Assembly of 
        Venezuela in accordance with the Constitution of the Bolivarian 
        Republic of Venezuela;
            (5) Venezuela's National Electoral Council should establish 
        a specific timeline to hold national, regional, and municipal 
        elections in accordance with the Constitution of the Bolivarian 
        Republic of Venezuela; and
            (6) the United States should support meaningful efforts 
        towards political negotiations and dialogue through which all 
        parties uphold their commitments and agree to specific 
        deadlines to restore respect for Venezuela's constitutional 
        mechanisms and resolve the country's political, economic, and 
        humanitarian crisis.

SEC. 4. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, subject to the availability of appropriations, shall work 
through nongovernmental organizations to provide--
            (1) public health commodities to Venezuelan health 
        facilities and services, including medicines on the World 
        Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines and basic 
        medical supplies and equipment;
            (2) the basic food commodities and nutritional supplements 
        needed to address growing malnutrition and improve food 
        security for the people of Venezuela, with a specific emphasis 
        on the most vulnerable populations;
            (3) technical assistance to ensure health and food 
        commodities are appropriately selected, procured, and 
        distributed; and
            (4) improved transparency and accountability in 
        institutions of the Government of Venezuela, including the 
        publication of official data on public health indicators and 
        shortages of food and medicine.
    (b) Strategy Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
strategy for carrying out the activities described in subsection (a) 
to--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
            (2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of State $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2018 to 
        carry out the activities set forth in subsection (a) in 
        accordance with this section.
            (2) Notification requirement.--
                    (A) In general.--Amounts appropriated or otherwise 
                made available pursuant to paragraph (1) may not be 
                obligated until 15 days after the date on which the 
                President has provided notice of intent to obligate 
                such funds to the committees listed in subsection (b).
                    (B) Waiver.--The Secretary of State may waive the 
                requirement under subparagraph (A) if the Secretary of 
                State determines that failure to waive such requirement 
                would pose a substantial risk to human health or 
                welfare. If such a waiver is invoked, the President 
                shall notify the committees listed in subsection (b) of 
                the intention to obligate funds under this section as 
                early as practicable, but in no event later than 3 days 
                after taking the action to which such notification 
                requirement was applicable in the context of the 
                circumstances necessitating such waiver.
    (d) Briefings.--Upon a request from one of the committees listed in 
subsection (b), the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development shall brief the 
committee on the progress made in implementing the strategy submitted 
under subsection (b).

SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY TO COORDINATE INTERNATIONAL 
              HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
Nations humanitarian agencies, including the Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, 
the Food and Agriculture Organization, and UNICEF, should conduct and 
publish an independent assessment on--
            (1) the extent and impact of the shortages of food and 
        medicine in Venezuela; and
            (2) the efforts needed to resolve such shortages.
    (b) Strategy.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, shall submit a multi-year strategy to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives that--
            (1) describes how the United States will secure support 
        from international donors, including regional partners in Latin 
        America and the Caribbean, for the provision of humanitarian 
        assistance to the people of Venezuela;
            (2) identifies governments that are willing to provide 
        financial and technical assistance for the provision of such 
        humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela and a 
        description of such assistance; and
            (3) identifies the financial and technical assistance to be 
        provided by multilateral institutions, including the United 
        Nations humanitarian agencies listed in subsection (a), the Pan 
        American Health Organization, the Inter-American Development 
        Bank, and the World Bank, and a description of such assistance.
    (c) Diplomatic Engagement and Coordination.--The Secretary of 
State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, as appropriate, shall--
            (1) carry out diplomatic engagement to secure contributions 
        of financial and technical assistance from international donors 
        and multilateral institutions in support of the strategy 
        submitted under subsection (b); and
            (2) take all necessary steps to ensure effective 
        cooperation among international donors and multilateral 
        institutions in support of such strategy.
    (d) Briefings.--Upon a request from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate or the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives, the Secretary of State and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development shall brief 
such committee on the progress made in implementing the strategy 
submitted under subsection (b).

SEC. 6. SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER-AMERICAN 
              DEMOCRATIC CHARTER.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Article 1 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, 
        adopted by the Organization of American States in Lima on 
        September 11, 2001, affirms, ``The peoples of the Americas have 
        a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation 
        to promote and defend it.''.
            (2) Article 19 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter 
        states ``an unconstitutional interruption of the democratic 
        order or an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional 
        regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member 
        state, constitutes, while it persists, an insurmountable 
        obstacle to its government's participation in sessions of the 
        General Assembly . . . and other bodies of the Organization.''.
            (3) Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter 
        provides--
                    (A) ``In the event of an unconstitutional 
                alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously 
                impairs the democratic order in a member state, any 
                member state or the Secretary General may request the 
                immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to 
                undertake a collective assessment of the situation and 
                to take such decisions as it deems appropriate.''; and
                    (B) ``The Permanent Council, depending on the 
                situation, may undertake the necessary diplomatic 
                initiatives, including good offices, to foster the 
                restoration of democracy.''.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Supreme 
        Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela have carried out systematic 
        efforts to undermine, block, and circumvent the authorities and 
        responsibilities of the Venezuelan National Assembly as 
        mandated in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of 
        Venezuela;
            (2) such efforts by President Maduro and the Supreme 
        Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela amount to an unconstitutional 
        alternation of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs 
        the democratic order in Venezuela; and
            (3) the Secretary of State, working through the United 
        States Permanent Mission to the Organization of American 
        States, should take additional steps to support ongoing efforts 
        by Secretary General Luis Almagro--
                    (A) to invoke the Inter-American Democratic 
                Charter;
                    (B) to advance a collective assessment of the 
                situation in Venezuela; and
                    (C) to promote diplomatic initiatives to foster the 
                restoration of Venezuelan democracy.

SEC. 7. SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSIONS AND 
              DEMOCRATIC CIVIL SOCIETY IN VENEZUELA.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development, shall work--
            (1) with the Organization of American States to ensure 
        credible international observation that contributes to free, 
        fair, and transparent democratic electoral processes in 
        Venezuela; and
            (2) directly, or through nongovernmental organizations--
                    (A) to defend internationally recognized human 
                rights for the people of Venezuela;
                    (B) to support the efforts of independent media 
                outlets to broadcast, distribute, and share information 
                beyond the limited channels made available by the 
                Government of Venezuela;
                    (C) to facilitate open and uncensored access to the 
                Internet for the people of Venezuela; and
                    (D) to combat corruption and improve the 
                transparency and accountability of institutions that 
                are part of the Government of Venezuela.
    (b) Voice and Vote at the OAS.--The Secretary of State, acting 
through the United States Permanent Representative to the Organization 
of American States, should advocate and build diplomatic support for 
sending an election observation mission to Venezuela to ensure that 
democratic electoral processes are organized and carried out in a free, 
fair, and transparent manner.
    (c) Strategy Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
strategy to carry out the activities described in subsection (a) to--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
            (2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2018--
                    (A) $500,000 to carry out the activities set forth 
                in subsection (a)(1); and
                    (B) $9,500,000 to carry out the activities set 
                forth in subsection (a)(2).
            (2) Notification requirement.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 
                pursuant to paragraph (1) may not be obligated until 15 
                days after the date on which the President has provided 
                notice of intent to obligate such funds to the 
                committees listed in subsection (c).
                    (B) Waiver.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary of State may 
                        waive the notification requirement under 
                        subparagraph (A) if the President determines 
                        that such requirement would pose a substantial 
                        risk to human health or welfare.
                            (ii) Notification requirement.--If a waiver 
                        is invoked under clause (i), the Secretary of 
                        State shall notify the committees listed in 
                        subsection (c) of the intention to obligate 
                        funds under this section as early as 
                        practicable, but in no event later than 3 days 
                        after taking the action to which such 
                        notification requirement was applicable in the 
                        context of the circumstances necessitating such 
                        waiver.
    (e) Briefings.--Upon a request from one of the committees listed in 
subsection (c), the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development shall brief the 
committee on the progress made in implementing the strategy submitted 
under subsection (c).

SEC. 8. SUPPORT FOR CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Caribbean countries, despite facing their own 
        challenges, can play a significant role in the Caribbean region 
        by responding to the humanitarian and political crisis in 
        Venezuela.
            (2) Energy security is a major challenge for Caribbean 
        countries, which depend largely on high-cost imported fuel for 
        electricity generation, and many of which have benefited from 
        preferential treatment by Venezuela.
            (3) Caribbean countries--
                    (A) are a market for United States products and 
                services;
                    (B) have access to renewable and other energy 
                sources; and
                    (C) can attract financing to develop and implement 
                new energy technologies and approaches, with assistance 
                and through public-private partnerships.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the Sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Secretary of State should--
                    (A) strengthen the Caribbean Energy Security 
                Initiative; and
                    (B) extend current programming, such as the 
                Caribbean Sustainable Energy Road Map and Strategy; and
            (2) the Secretary of State, working with the Administrator 
        of the United States Agency for International Development, the 
        Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency, and 
        the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Overseas 
        Private Investment Corporation, should--
                    (A) support the Clean Energy Finance Facility for 
                the Caribbean and Central America to encourage and 
                facilitate regional investments in energy 
                diversification;
                    (B) promote energy efficiency and integration of 
                renewables into Caribbean energy grids; and
                    (C) promote United States energy missions to the 
                Caribbean.
    (c) Statement of Policy.--According to the United States-Caribbean 
Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-291), it is the policy 
of the United States to increase engagement with--
            (1) the governments in the Caribbean region; and
            (2) the private sector and civil society in the United 
        States and in the Caribbean.

SEC. 9. CONCERNS AND REPORT ON THE INVOLVEMENT OF VENEZUELAN OFFICIALS 
              IN CORRUPTION AND ILLICIT NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The deterioration of governance in Venezuela has been 
        exacerbated by the involvement of senior officials of the 
        Government of Venezuela, including members of the National 
        Electoral Council, the judicial system, and the Venezuelan 
        security forces, in acts of corruption and illicit narcotics 
        trafficking and related money laundering.
            (2) In March 2015, the Department of the Treasury's 
        Financial Crimes Enforcement Network determined that 
        approximately $2,000,000,000 had been siphoned from Venezuela's 
        public oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., in conjunction 
        with its designation of the Banca Privada d'Andorra as a 
        Foreign Financial Institution of Primary Money Laundering 
        Concern.
            (3) On August 1, 2016, General Nestor Reverol, Venezuela's 
        current Minister of Interior and former National Guard 
        commander, was indicted in a United States district court for 
        participating in an international cocaine trafficking 
        conspiracy.
            (4) On November 18, 2016, Franqui Francisco Flores de 
        Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of President 
        Maduro and Venezuelan First Lady Cilia Flores, were convicted 
        in a United States district court on charges of conspiring to 
        import cocaine into the United States.
            (5) On February 13, 2017, the Department of the Treasury's 
        Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Venezuelan Vice 
        President Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah for his involvement 
        in illicit narcotics trafficking, pursuant to the Foreign 
        Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.; 
        title VIII of Public Law 106-120).
            (6) The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign 
        Assets Control has designated additional individuals and senior 
        Venezuelan officials for their involvement in illicit narcotics 
        trafficking, pursuant to such Act, including--
                    (A) Venezuelan national Samark Jose Lopez Bello, 
                who is the primary front man and money launderer for 
                Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah;
                    (B) Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios, who is the 
                current National Assembly Deputy and the former 
                Director of Venezuela's Military Intelligence 
                Directorate;
                    (C) Henry de Jesus Rangel Silva, who is the current 
                Governor of Trujillo State and the former Director of 
                Venezuela's Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention 
                Services;
                    (D) Ramon Emilio Rodriguez Chacin, who previously 
                served as the Minister of Interior; and
                    (E) Freddy Alirio Bernal Rosales, who previously 
                served as the Mayor of the Libertador municipality of 
                Caracas.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Corruption.--The term ``corruption'' means the extent 
        to which public power is exercised for private gain, including 
        by bribery, nepotism, fraud, or embezzlement.
            (2) Grand corruption.--The term ``grand corruption'' means 
        corruption committed at a high level of government that--
                    (A) distorts policies or the central functioning of 
                the country; and
                    (B) enables leaders to benefit at the expense of 
                the public good.
    (c) Reporting Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, acting 
        through the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and in 
        consultation with the intelligence community (as defined in 
        section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 
        3003(4))), shall submit a report to Congress that describes the 
        involvement of senior officials of the Government of Venezuela, 
        including members of the National Electoral Council, the 
        judicial system, and the Venezuelan security forces, in acts of 
        corruption in Venezuela, with a specific emphasis on acts of 
        grand corruption.
            (2) Additional elements.--The report submitted under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) describe how the acts of corruption described 
                in the report pose direct challenges for United States 
                national security and international security;
                    (B) identify individuals that frustrate the ability 
                of the United States to combat illicit narcotics 
                trafficking; and
                    (C) include input from the Drug Enforcement 
                Administration, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, 
                and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
            (3) Form.--The report under paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified 
        annex. The unclassified portion of the report shall be made 
        available to the public.

SEC. 10. SANCTIONS ON PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC CORRUPTION AND 
              UNDERMINING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN VENEZUELA.

    (a) Finding.--Executive Order 13692 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note), which 
was signed on March 8, 2015, established sanctions against individuals 
responsible for undermining democratic processes and institutions and 
involved in acts of public corruption that were not included in the 
Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (Public 
Law 113-278).
    (b) Sanctions.--Section 5 of the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights 
and Civil Society Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-278) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (5); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) has perpetrated, or is responsible for ordering or 
        otherwise directing, significant actions or policies that 
        undermine democratic processes or institutions;
            ``(4) has perpetrated, or is responsible for ordering or 
        otherwise directing, significant acts of public corruption; 
        or'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively;
            (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Briefings.--Upon a request from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate or the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with 
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall offer a classified briefing on the 
efforts to impose sanctions under this section and the impact of such 
sanctions.''; and
            (4) in subsection (f), as redesignated, by striking 
        ``December 31, 2019'' and inserting ``December 31, 2022''.

SEC. 11. CONCERNS OVER PDVSA TRANSACTIONS WITH ROSNEFT.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In late 2016, Venezuelan state owned oil company 
        Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (referred to in this section as 
        ``PDVSA''), through a no-compete transaction, secured a loan 
        from Russian government-controlled oil company Rosneft, using 
        49.9 percent of PDVSA's American subsidiary, CITGO Petroleum 
        Corporation, including its assets in the United States, as 
        collateral. As a result of this transaction, 100 percent of 
        CITGO is held as collateral by PDVSA's creditors.
            (2) CITGO, a wholly owned subsidiary of PDVSA, is engaged 
        in interstate commerce and owns and controls critical energy 
        infrastructure in 19 States in the United States, including an 
        extensive network of pipelines, 48 terminals, and 3 refineries, 
        with a combined oil refining capacity of 749,000 barrels per 
        day. CITGO's refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is the sixth 
        largest refinery in the United States.
            (3) The Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 
        Rosneft, which is controlled by the Russian Government, and its 
        Executive Chairman, Igor Sechin, following Russia's military 
        invasion of Ukraine and its illegal annexation of Crimea in 
        2014.
            (4) The Department of Homeland Security has designated the 
        energy sector as critical to United States infrastructure.
            (5) The growing economic crisis in Venezuela raises the 
        probability that the Government of Venezuela and PDVSA will 
        default on their international debt obligations, resulting in a 
        scenario in which Rosneft could come into control of CITGO's 
        United States energy infrastructure holdings.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) control of critical United States energy infrastructure 
        by Rosneft, a Russian government-controlled entity currently 
        under United States sanctions, would pose a significant risk to 
        United States national security and energy security;
            (2) the President should take all necessary steps to 
        prevent Rosneft from gaining control of critical United States 
        interstate energy infrastructure;
            (3) a default by PDVSA on its loan from Rosneft, resulting 
        in Rosneft coming into possession of PDVSA's United States 
        CITGO assets, would warrant careful consideration by the 
        Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States;
            (4) if PDVSA defaults on its debt obligations, the 
        Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control 
        should review CITGO's transactions with United States persons 
        to assess and ensure compliance with United States sanctions 
        policies and regulations; and
            (5) the Department of Homeland Security should conduct an 
        assessment of the security risks posed by foreign control of 
        CITGO's United States energy infrastructure holdings.
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