[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 741 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 741

Condemning the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in the Bolivarian 
                         Republic of Venezuela.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 18, 2024

    Mr. Graham (for himself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in the Bolivarian 
                         Republic of Venezuela.

Whereas, since 2005, the United States has imposed targeted sanctions on 
        individuals and entities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that 
        have engaged in criminal, anti-democratic, unconstitutional, or corrupt 
        acts and violated basic human rights;
Whereas, since 2006, the Secretary of State has determined that Venezuela is not 
        ``cooperating fully with United States anti-terrorism efforts'' as 
        outlined in section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2781);
Whereas, since coming to power in 2013, Nicolas Maduro and his illegitimate 
        regime have committed numerous criminal, anti-democratic, 
        unconstitutional, and corrupt acts and violated basic human rights, 
        including--

    (1) embezzling billions of dollars from the Venezuelan people, 
including through the illicit removal of gold from the Central Bank of 
Venezuela;

    (2) declaring approximately 12 percent of the country to be a part of 
an ``Orinoco Mining Arc'' and using his position to oversee the 
exploitation of vital resources for personal gain; and

    (3) establishing the Special Action Force of the National Police (FAES) 
in 2017, and utilizing them to execute illegal raids and extrajudicial 
killings;

Whereas, on January 5, 2019, the people of Venezuela responded to years of 
        suffering and suppression under Nicolas Maduro by electing Juan Guaido 
        as President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, the only remaining 
        democratically elected and legitimate institution in the country;
Whereas, upon being elected President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, 
        Juan Guaido invoked relevant articles of the Venezuelan constitution and 
        became the Interim President of Venezuela;
Whereas, on January 10, 2019, Nicolas Maduro unlawfully reassumed the presidency 
        of Venezuela, and his rule was deemed illegitimate by many Venezuelans 
        and more than 50 countries, including most of the neighboring countries 
        of Venezuela, the United States, and the majority of the European Union;
Whereas, since unlawfully reassuming the presidency in 2019, Nicolas Maduro has 
        exacerbated ongoing economic and humanitarian crises, and forced more 
        than 7,700,000 people to flee Venezuela;
Whereas Nicolas Maduro has provided diplomatic support to, and engaged with, 
        countries that have been designated as state sponsors of terrorism under 
        United States law, including by--

    (1) allowing the Republic of Cuba to restructure the Venezuelan 
military, train armed forces in Venezuela, train Venezuelan intelligence 
agents in Cuba, and stating that Venezuela is ``grateful to Cuba's 
revolutionary armed forces'' and ``salute them and will always welcome 
them'';

    (2) awarding a $490,000,000 contract to the state-owned National 
Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company to revamp the Paraguana 
Refining Center, the largest refining complex in Venezuela; and

    (3) establishing a diplomatic mission and embassy in the Democratic 
People's Republic of Korea (commonly known as ``North Korea'') and allowing 
North Korea to similarly establish a mission and embassy in Venezuela;

Whereas, in response to the numerous criminal, anti-democratic, 
        unconstitutional, and corrupt acts and basic human rights violations 
        committed by Nicolas Maduro and persons serving in his illegitimate 
        regime, the United States has imposed a number of sanctions on him and 
        his enablers, including--

    (1) on March 8, 2015, when President Barack Obama issued Executive 
Order 13692 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property and 
suspending entry of certain persons contributing to the situation in 
Venezuela) to sanction persons engaged in public corruption activities and 
involved in human rights violations, the persecution of political 
opponents, the curtailment of press freedoms, and the arbitrary arrest and 
detention of anti-government protestors;

    (2) on August 24, 2017, when President Donald Trump issued Executive 
Order 13808 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to imposing additional sanctions 
with respect to the situation in Venezuela), which prohibited the 
Government of Venezuela from accessing financial markets of the United 
States;

    (3) on March 19, 2018, when President Donald Trump issued Executive 
Order 13827 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to taking additional steps to 
address the situation in Venezuela) to prohibit any transaction involving 
the issuance of any Venezuelan digital currency;

    (4) on May 21, 2018, when President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 
13835 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to prohibiting certain additional 
transactions with respect to Venezuela) to prohibit transactions related to 
purchasing Venezuelan debt;

    (5) on August 5, 2019, when President Donald Trump issued Executive 
Order 13884 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property of the 
Government of Venezuela), freezing the assets of the Maduro government in 
the United States and blocking the property, imposing visa restrictions, 
and permitting financial sanctions on non-United States persons that assist 
the Maduro government; and

    (6) under section 7031(c)(1)(A) of the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations and Related Appropriations Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-6; 133 
Stat. 317) and section 7031(c)(1)(A) of the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations and Related Appropriations Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-94; 133 
Stat. 2864);

Whereas, on October 17, 2023, the illegitimate Maduro regime signed the Partial 
        Agreement on the Promotion of Political Rights and Electoral Guarantees 
        for All (commonly known as the ``Barbados Agreement''), which states 
        that all parties, including the opposition party, shall be allowed to 
        freely select their candidates for the presidential election;
Whereas the Biden Administration--

    (1) on October 18, 2023, in response to the signing of the Barbados 
Agreement, issued General License No. 44 and suspended certain sanctions on 
Venezuela's oil and gas sector; and

    (2) allowed General License No. 44 to expire on April 18, 2024, in 
response the illegitimate Maduro regime preventing the democratic 
opposition from registering the candidate of their choice, harassing and 
intimidating political opponents, and unjustly detaining numerous political 
actors and members of civil society;

Whereas Maria Corina Machado--

    (1) was elected by the people of Venezuela on October 26, 2023, as the 
opposition candidate to run against the illegitimate Maduro regime in the 
July 28, 2024, presidential election in Venezuela;

    (2) was subsequently disqualified on January 26, 2024, by the Supreme 
Justice Tribunal, the highest court of Venezuela, from running in the 
election and was not provided the opportunity to respond to the 
disqualifying allegations in court; and

    (3) has since endorsed Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to run for President of 
Venezuela since her unwarranted disqualification, stating on the campaign 
trail, ``We are united and strong'';

Whereas, on December 20, 2023, the Maduro regime finally released 6 wrongfully 
        detained United States citizens in Venezuela only after the Biden 
        Administration agreed to release Alex Saab, who was charged in Federal 
        court in October 2021, for laundering the proceeds of violations of the 
        Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-213; 91 Stat. 1494) 
        in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to take advantage of the 
        exchange rate controlled by Venezuela;
Whereas the Department of State has described Saab as ``one of the two most 
        important money men in the Maduro government'' and ``the middle man'' 
        between Maduro's narco-terrorist regime and the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran;
Whereas, prior to his arrest, Saab established the illegal ``Gold for Gas'' 
        scheme with Iran, allowing the country to avoid sanctions and be paid in 
        Venezuelan gold in exchange for sham ``humanitarian'' deliveries of fuel 
        to Venezuela;
Whereas, on January 15, 2024, Maduro proved to the world that he operates a 
        criminal enterprise disguised as a country when he named Alex Saab as 
        the head of Venezuela's International Investment Center; and
Whereas the illegitimate Maduro regime has exhibited a clear pattern of 
        corruption, ruling by force, and undermining stability and democracy in 
        Venezuela: Now, therefore be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) rejects the attempt by the illegitimate Maduro regime 
        to hold sham elections and consolidate power through 
        weaponizing institutions, especially the electoral committee 
        and judicial system;
            (2) demands that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela hold 
        free and fair elections on July 28, 2024, and allow all 
        opposition candidates, including Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to 
        register on the ballot and participate in the elections in 
        compliance with the Partial Agreement on the Promotion of 
        Political Rights and Electoral Guarantees for All (commonly 
        known as the ``Barbados Agreement'');
            (3) denounces any attempt by the illegitimate Maduro regime 
        to intimidate and repress the Venezuelan people and its 
        democratic candidates through any kind of violence;
            (4) condemns the illegitimate Maduro regime for the 
        flagrant and repeated acts of corruption, desecrating the rule 
        of law, and engaging in anti-democratic and criminal acts; and
            (5) encourages the Administration to condemn the results of 
        the Venezuelan election on July 28, 2024, if fraud occurs, and 
        to subsequently impose additional sanctions on Maduro and the 
        coconspirators in his illegitimate regime to ensure they are 
        unable to profit through their illegal and corrupt activities.
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