[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9653-H9659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VENEZUELA HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND DEFENSE OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
ACT OF 2017
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 2658) to provide humanitarian assistance for the
Venezuelan people, to defend democratic governance and combat
widespread public corruption in Venezuela, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2658
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. Requirement for strategy to provide humanitarian assistance to
the people of Venezuela.
Sec. 5. Requirement for strategy to coordinate international
humanitarian assistance.
Sec. 6. Support for efforts at the United Nations on the humanitarian
and political crisis in Venezuela.
Sec. 7. Support for Organization of American States Inter-American
Democratic Charter.
Sec. 8. Concerns and report on the involvement of Venezuelan officials
in corruption and illicit narcotics trafficking.
Sec. 9. Sanctions on persons responsible for public corruption and
undermining democratic governance in Venezuela.
Sec. 10. Concerns over PDVSA transactions with Rosneft.
[[Page H9654]]
Sec. 11. Report on activities of certain governments in Venezuela.
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) Maternal deaths in Venezuela increased by 66 percent
from 2015 to 2016 while infant deaths increased by 30
percent.
(5) There were 240,000 confirmed malaria cases in Venezuela
in 2016--a 76 percent increase over 2015.
(6) A survey--conducted jointly by the Central University
of Venezuela, the Andres Bello Catholic University, and the
Simon Bolivar University--found that almost 75 percent of
Venezuelans lost an average of at least 19 pounds in 2016 as
a result of a lack of proper nutrition amidst the country's
economic crisis.
(7) Despite massive shortages of basic foodstuffs and
essential medicines, Nicolas Maduro has rejected repeated
requests from the Venezuelan National Assembly and civil
society organizations to bring humanitarian aid into the
country.
(8) 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.
(9) 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.
(10) 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.
(11) 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.
(12) In 2016, 18,155 Venezuelans submitted asylum requests
in the United States, which was the greatest number of
requests by any nationality, according to U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services.
(13) International and domestic human rights groups, such
as Foro Penal Venezolano, recognize more than 600 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.
(14) According to media accounts, over 125 people lost
their lives as the result of public demonstrations and
protests in Venezuela since April 2017.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) 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
institutions to ameliorate the effects of the country's
ongoing economic, social, and humanitarian crisis;
(3) 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) 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 allow supervision of
credible international electoral observers; and
(6) the United States should support meaningful efforts
towards a substantive 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. REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development, shall submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives,
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a strategy
to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela
through credible and independent nongovernmental
organizations operating in Venezuela or in neighboring
countries to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan
people.
(b) Matters to Be Included.--The strategy required under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A description of how and to what extent the following
assistance will be provided:
(A) Public health commodities for Venezuelan health
facilities and services, including medicines on the World
Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines and basic
medical supplies and equipment.
(B) 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.
(C) Technical assistance to ensure health and food
commodities are appropriately selected, procured, and
distributed, predominantly through local nongovernmental
organizations.
(2) An identification of United States Agency for
International Development best practices in delivering
humanitarian assistance and how such best practices are being
utilized in providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY TO COORDINATE INTERNATIONAL
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the appropriate United Nations humanitarian agencies 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; and
(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.
SEC. 6. SUPPORT FOR EFFORTS AT THE UNITED NATIONS ON THE
HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL CRISIS IN VENEZUELA.
(a) Initial Efforts.--The President shall instruct the
Permanent Representative of the United States to the United
Nations to use the voice and vote of the United States to
secure the necessary votes--
(1) to place the humanitarian and political crisis in
Venezuela on the agenda at the United Nations; and
(2) to secure a Presidential Statement from the United
Nations urging the Government of Venezuela to allow the
delivery of humanitarian relief and to lift bureaucratic
impediments or any other obstacles so that independent
nongovernmental organizations can provide the proper
assistance to the people of Venezuela without any
interference by such government.
(b) Additional Efforts.--
(1) In general.--If the Government of Venezuela refuses to
allow the delivery of humanitarian relief and lift
bureaucratic impediments and any other obstacles described in
subsection (a)(2), then beginning not later than 30 days
after the conclusion of the efforts of the United Nations
described in such subsection, the President shall instruct
the Permanent Representative of the United States to the
United Nations to use the voice and vote of the United States
to secure the adoption of a resolution described in paragraph
(2).
(2) Resolution described.--The resolution of the United
Nations described in paragraph (1) is a resolution--
(A) directing the Government of Venezuela to promptly allow
safe and unhindered access for humanitarian agencies and
their implementing partners, including possible support from
neighboring countries; and
(B) calling on the Government of Venezuela to--
(i) allow the delivery of food and medicine;
(ii) end human rights violations;
(iii) agree to free, fair and transparent elections with
credible international observers;
(iv) cease violence; and
(v) release all political prisoners.
SEC. 7. SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER-
AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC CHARTER.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
[[Page H9655]]
(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) Nicolas Maduro, the National Electoral Council of
Venezuela, 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 Nicolas 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 the Secretary General of the Organization of
American States--
(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. 8. 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 Nicolas
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 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.
(7) On September 12, 2017, Ambassador William Brownfield
testified before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics
Control that drug trafficking organizations in Venezuela have
``completely penetrated virtually every security, law
enforcement, and justice-related institution'' and that
``there will be no long-term, democratic, prosperous and
secure solution in Venezuela until there is a solution to the
drug trafficking organization presence''.
(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. 9. 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);
(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) is responsible for, or complicit in, ordering,
controlling, or otherwise directing, significant actions or
policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions;
``(4) is a government official, or a senior associate of
such an official, that is responsible for, or complicit in,
ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, acts of
significant corruption, including the expropriation of
private or public assets for personal gain, corruption
related to government contracts or the extraction of natural
resources, bribery, or the facilitation or transfer of the
proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or''; and
(D) in paragraph (5) (as redesignated), by striking
``paragraph (1) or (2)'' and inserting ``paragraph (1), (2),
(3), or (4)''; and
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ``December 31, 2019''
and inserting ``December 31, 2022''.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the President and Secretary of State should seek to encourage
partner countries of the Organization of American States, the
European Union, and the United Nations to impose sanctions
with respect to Venezuelan individuals that are similar to
sanctions imposed by the United States with respect to such
Venezuelan individuals.
SEC. 10. 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,
[[Page H9656]]
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 and keep
the relevant committees of Congress fully informed of its
findings and any subsequent strategy to address
vulnerabilities to United States energy security as a result.
SEC. 11. REPORT ON ACTIVITIES OF CERTAIN GOVERNMENTS IN
VENEZUELA.
(a) 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 of the
Department of State and in consultation with the intelligence
community, shall submit to Congress a report that describes
the full extent of cooperation by the Governments of the
Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, and
Iran with the Government of Venezuela and the Venezuelan
armed forces.
(b) Form.--The report under subsection (a) 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.
(c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``intelligence
community'' has the meaning given such term in section 3(4)
of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include any extraneous material.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this bill represents broad bipartisan concern here in
the House for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. It calls
on the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator to develop a
humanitarian assistance strategy to help the people of Venezuela.
As the authoritarian Venezuelan Government digs in its heels and
consolidates its power, the people of that once wealthy nation, last
year, experienced a 65 percent increase in maternal mortality, a 30
percent increase in infant mortality, and a 76 percent increase in
malaria cases.
Severe shortages of basic medicine persists. They have right now
about 5 percent of the basic medicines that they used to have. A 2016
report shows that three out of every four Venezuelans had lost an
average of 19 pounds due to lack of proper nutrition and due to lack of
food.
Despite all of this, President Maduro continues to deny the existence
of a full-fledged humanitarian crisis while blaming any hardships on
his opposition or the international community that seeks only to
support the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of democracy and basic
human rights.
I applaud the administration for sanctioning those in the Maduro
regime complicit--complicit--in the rampant corruption and anti-
democratic measures that have stifled the will of the people there. But
we must address the specter of the complete collapse of the Venezuelan
economy and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
I encourage my colleagues to support this measure by Mr. DeSantis,
which will require a strategy to address the crisis while signaling
bipartisan support for the democratic and human rights aspirations of
the people of Venezuela.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, December 5, 2017.
Hon. Edward R. Royce,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Royce: I write with respect to H.R. 2658, the
``Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Democratic
Governance.'' As a result of your having consulted with us on
provisions within H.R. 2658 that fall within the Rule X
jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, I forego any
further consideration of this bill so that it may proceed
expeditiously to the House floor for consideration.
The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual
understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 2658 at
this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject
matter contained in this or similar legislation and that our
committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as
this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may
address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our
committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an
appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate
conference involving this or similar legislation and asks
that you support any such request.
I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming
this understanding with respect to H.R. 2658 and would ask
that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be
included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill.
Sincerely,
Bob Goodlatte,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, December 4, 2017.
Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Goodlatte: Thank you for consulting with the
Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from
further consideration of H.R. 2658, the Venezuela
Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance
Act of 2017, so that the bill may proceed expeditiously to
the House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure
does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of
your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives
on this bill or similar legislation in the future. I would
support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate
number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate
conference on this legislation.
I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 2658 into the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill.
I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and
look forward to continuing to work together as this measure
moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Edward R. Royce,
Chairman.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I rise in support of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I authored this bill, the Venezuela Humanitarian
Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act, in the House with
our chair emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen. I want to say that there is no Member of this body who has
done more to champion democracy and human rights in Venezuela than the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
I also want to thank her longtime staff director, Eddy Acevedo, who
is in his last week on Capitol Hill. Eddy has been such a positive
force on Venezuela and the entire Latin American region in support of
Ileana's work. He has been a consistent collaborator with my staff, and
his work here will be sorely missed.
I also want to say that I appreciate Chairman Royce's steadfast
commitment to the Venezuelan people and his support for this
legislation.
I also want to thank Senator Cardin for authorizing this measure in
the other body. I hope we will be able to work with the Senate, the
other body, to get this bill on the President's desk.
[[Page H9657]]
Mr. Speaker, with its massive energy resources, Venezuela should be
one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Unfortunately,
irresponsible policies put in place by President Maduro and his
predecessor, Hugo Chavez, brought the country to near economic collapse
and created a dangerous humanitarian crisis.
The statistics tell a tragic story. Maternal deaths in the country
increased by 66 percent from 2015 to 2016, while infant deaths
increased by 30 percent. There were 240,000 confirmed malaria cases in
Venezuela in 2016, which is a 76 percent increase over 2015.
A survey carried out by three reputable Venezuelan universities found
that nearly three-quarters of Venezuelans lost an average of at least
19 pounds in 2016 as a result of lack of proper nutrition.
Despite massive shortages of food and medicine, President Maduro
continues to reject efforts to bring humanitarian assistance into the
country. Last summer, Mr. Maduro handed control of the country's food
supply over to the Venezuelan military, and while many Venezuelans
starve, some of the military brass are making money hand over fist by
selling the country's scarce food supplies on the black market. That is
like letting the fox into the chicken coop.
In short, President Maduro is running Venezuela into the ground. It
is horrific for that country's people, and it is a concern for our own
security as this country in our neighborhood becomes less and less
stable. So I support targeted sanctions that hold corrupt and abusive
Venezuelan officials accountable.
But that must be only a part of our policy. We also must be focused
on getting food and medicine to those in most need in the country. This
bill calls on the USAID and the State Department to develop a strategy
to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuela while at the same time
instructing our Ambassador of the United Nations to work with partners
at the U.N. Security Council and throughout the U.N. system to
multilaterally address the country's crisis.
This is urgent business, Mr. Speaker. We need to put U.S. aid, the
USAID, and the United Nations on a path toward providing much-needed
humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people. We want to choke off
the government. The government is a cancer on the Venezuelan people,
but we don't want to hurt the Venezuelan people. That is what the
legislation is all about. That is why I wrote it, that is why I
authored it, and that is why we agree on a bipartisan basis.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen
and myself. It is important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Eliot Engel
for authoring this bill along with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. I also thank
Albio Sires and Ron DeSantis, the cosponsors of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Ros-Lehtinen), who is the chairman emeritus of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, the primary Republican cosponsor of this bill.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the time, and
I thank the ranking member for those very sweet words.
Mr. Speaker, I echo what Ranking Member Engel said about my trusted
staff director, Eddy Acevedo. This is his last week with us. He starts
Monday with the USAID. He has got the whole weekend to party on. He has
been my partner in all of these battles in favor of freedom and
democracy and against autocratic regimes, which brings us to this bill
before us, Mr. Speaker.
I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 2658, the Venezuela
Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of
2017. I am proud to be, as the chairman said, the Republican lead on
this important legislation.
I have been proud to work side by side with the author of the bill,
our ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Eliot Engel,
in putting this bill together. Eliot has been a leading voice in this
legislative body in support of freedom and democracy across the globe,
as has our esteemed chairman. But Eliot has really focused in on this
hemisphere, especially on Venezuela. I want to thank him for his
leadership on this issue.
I also want to thank his trusted adviser sitting two seats away from
him on all Western Hemisphere-related items. Eric Jacobstein is my
buddy from Haiti. We have enjoyed as much as one can enjoy going to an
island nation that needs so much help. The people of Haiti are
beautiful, and it has been a joy to travel with Eric and with Eddy.
Throughout the years, Eric has worked closely with us and with our
office. We work in a bipartisan manner. That is the tone that our
esteemed chairman has set for the committee. Eric and Eliot work that
way as well. Their knowledge and expertise on this topic has been
instrumental to our committee.
The bill before us, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2658, is simple, it is
straightforward, and it is important. Maduro, like Chavez before him--
two thugs--has turned Venezuela from a once vibrant and thriving nation
into a country on the brink of utter collapse. The results have been
disastrous for the people of Venezuela. There is food shortage, there
is water shortage, and there is a severe lack of medicine and medical
supplies. There is a lack of goods and services everywhere you turn.
The people need to get proper nutrition. They need proper care, but
they can't find it. It is a crisis that Maduro and his thugs have
denied exists because he is eating very well. The other day he was
making a televised public declaration. He opens up the drawer, takes an
empanada, and he is stuffing his face. But the people are starving. But
recognizing it would mean that Chavismo has utterly failed, so they
refuse to recognize this.
So what happens?
The Venezuelan people suffer from severe malnutrition. They are
subject to price controls. It is unbelievable the prices of items
there. If they can ever get the food, if they can ever get the services
they need, then the people can't afford them. They are subject to
substandard and unhygienic conditions. This has led to a sharp rise in
infant mortality, and really mortality rates across the board in
Venezuela have gone up.
In short, the majority of the people in Venezuela are living in
misery. What was once the breadbasket of the whole hemisphere, now the
people don't have food. They are living in misery. The Maduro regime is
not only to blame, but it is ensuring that the humanitarian situation
gets even worse. It was Maduro who ordered the supreme court to block a
law from the opposition that would have helped facilitate humanitarian
aid from NGOs and other international entities. As a result, it is ever
so difficult to get the supplies needed to respond to this crisis into
Venezuela to the people who so desperately need it. That is why, Mr.
Speaker, this bill is so important.
{time} 1545
It directs USAID, the institution Eddy will be a partner of in just a
few days, and our great Department of State to develop a plan in order
to determine if and how the U.S. can possibly help with some of the
humanitarian assistance through credible and independent NGOs, or
nongovernmental organizations, that are operating in Venezuela or
neighboring countries to ensure that this assistance does get to the
people who desperately need it.
The bill also directs our Ambassador to the United Nations to use our
full voice, full vote, and full influence of the United States to place
the humanitarian and political crises in Venezuela on the agenda at the
U.N.
Mr. Speaker, this body, alongside our friends in New York at the
U.N., has worked to hold rogue regimes accountable for failing to allow
humanitarian assistance in their countries. Whether it is Syria or
Yemen, this body has spoken in a unified manner that humanitarian
assistance should not be prevented from reaching the people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kustoff of Tennessee). The time of the
gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from
Florida an additional 1 minute.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. But on Venezuela, Mr. Speaker, it seems as if we
hold a different standard, and that is
[[Page H9658]]
unacceptable. For too long, Venezuela has been shielded from criticism
and action at the U.N. by its cronies, like the equally corrupt and
morally reprehensible Castro regime in Cuba.
This is precisely the kind of situation for which the U.N. was
created to respond; yet, to date, the response has been woefully
inadequate and shamefully void of substance.
We have got to lead on this effort, and this bill is what we need.
There are millions of people suffering in Venezuela. We are in a
situation to help.
I would point out to our chairman and the ranking member that we had
some excellent news in the minutes that we have been speaking. The
Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nomination of our
former committee chief of staff, Yleem Poblete, for Assistant Secretary
of State for Verification and Compliance. It now goes to the full
Senate. I know that she will be with us on these measures that attack
atrocious regimes and will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires), my good friend and a valued member of the Foreign
Affairs Committee and the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere
Subcommittee.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2658, the
Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance
Act.
I thank Ranking Member Eliot Engel and Chairman Royce for all their
hard work and always being there for the people of Venezuela.
Of course, I want to thank the dynamic duo of Eddy Acevedo and Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen. Even though we are going miss Eddy, I am sure he will
continue to fight in the defense of human rights wherever he is.
The situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate. A country with
the world's largest known oil reserves is spiraling into a collapsed
state. We have people struggling just to survive. Journalists and
citizens risk their lives every day to report what is happening inside
Caracas and around the country.
We see that tensions are growing and government security forces shoot
first and ask questions later. It is clear that the failed Chavismo
policies and the authoritarian actions of Nicolas Maduro have brought
all of this pain and suffering upon the Venezuelan people.
Maduro and his cronies continue to get rich as they traffic money and
drugs while doing nothing to help the millions of suffering people.
Multiple news reports confirm a growing health crisis as people lack
access to basic medicines, and reports of infant mortality rates and
preventable diseases such as malaria are on the rise.
To hold the Maduro regime accountable, both the Obama and Trump
administrations have sanctioned senior officials in the Venezuelan
Government for their actions with narcotrafficking, money laundering,
and other illicit activities.
There is consensus among the majority of the hemisphere--multilateral
institutions such as the OAS, the United Nations, and the European
Union--that Maduro is destroying democracy and violating human rights.
These sanctions are not against the Venezuelan people but are
carefully crafted and targeted toward the individuals who are committed
to destroying the lives of millions of innocent civilians in exchange
for money and power.
That is why I am supporting this important and timely legislation
that helps to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Venezuela
and codifies President Obama's sanctions related to corrupt officials
in the country. The United States needs to stand shoulder to shoulder
with the Venezuelan people and be ready to assist them, while holding
the corrupt regime officials accountable.
Once again, I thank my colleagues for all their hard work on this
issue, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2658.
Before I yield back, I wish Eddy good luck. I thank him for all his
hard work. He will be missed. I hate to see that dynamic duo split, but
I am sure it will continue to work.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Sires is not alone.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Cook), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western
Hemisphere and a cosponsor of this bill.
Mr. COOK. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support of Mr.
DeSantis' resolution, H. Res. 259, and Mr. Engel's bill, H.R. 2658,
which both speak to the ongoing political economic, social, and
humanitarian crisis in Venezuela under the dictatorship of Nicolas
Maduro.
Once the richest country in South America, Venezuela now has a total
unpaid bond debt of over $1 billion and is in default on multiple
loans.
The Maduro regime is responsible for widespread human rights abuses,
including extrajudicial killings, mass arbitrary detentions, and
torture of the political opposition. They have detained five Citgo
executives who are dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizens, as well as U.S.
citizen and religious missionary Joshua Holt, who remains unjustly
imprisoned.
American adversaries are among the main supporters of Venezuela. More
than a dozen high-ranking Cuban officers as well as thousands of Cuban
intelligence agents are reportedly in Venezuela.
Venezuela continues to receive financial support from Russia and
China. Venezuela also possesses 5,000 Russian-made, man-portable
surface-to-air missiles and is the largest operator of Russian arms and
military hardware in Latin America.
The humanitarian crisis is not limited to Venezuela alone. The crisis
in Venezuela has led to mass immigration. Last year, the U.S. received
18,000 requests from Venezuelans seeking to escape the brutal regime.
Waves of Venezuelan refugees have also fled to Chile, Argentina,
Colombia, and Brazil, threatening to create a regionwide migration
crisis.
The regime refuses to accept humanitarian aid from the international
community, preferring instead to use its citizens as political pawns at
the expense of their health and safety.
I commend the efforts of the Trump administration to take a
principled stand to support the Venezuelan people and sanction the most
dangerous actors in the Venezuelan Government. Just yesterday, the
regime threatened that elections in Venezuela would only take place if
these sanctions were lifted. I wholeheartedly reject this threat and
remain committed to the sanctions and to continuing to put pressure on
the Maduro regime.
I express my strong support for these two bills. The U.S. supports a
free, democratic, and independent Venezuela that is accountable to the
people. We stand ready to assist the Venezuelan people and provide
humanitarian assistance, and we urge more action from our partners in
the region and the international community to resolve the crisis in
Venezuela.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), my good friend and a member of the
Appropriations Committee.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise to commend my sister in so many fights, Ms.
Ros-Lehtinen, whom we will miss. But we are not letting her get away
that quickly, because we have about a year together with many fights
and fun to engage in.
I am here this afternoon to talk about something not very pleasant,
and that is the absolute necessity to adopt H.R. 2658, the Venezuela
Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of
2017.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Engel, and Mr. Sires have introduced this
legislation, rightfully, because the Maduro regime has repeatedly
demonstrated that they have no respect for political freedom, human
rights, or even the basic needs of their own citizens. The consequences
for the Venezuelan people are becoming more and more devastating every
day.
It is absolutely unconscionable that the Maduro regime is refusing to
allow food, medicine, and other essential supplies to reach Venezuelans
in need. This bill would be a valuable step to ensure that the
Venezuelan people are helped, even if their government would prefer
that people die rather than receive aid from the international
community.
The sanctions that have been imposed thus far against the
perpetrators
[[Page H9659]]
in the Maduro regime have been steps in the right direction, but we
must do more. The Venezuelan Government has demonstrated time and time
again that they won't do the right thing on their own, so we must
continue to apply stronger and stronger pressure. This legislation
would strengthen the President's ability to tighten the screws on
Maduro and his cronies.
In order for Venezuela to return to peace and prosperity, its
democracy must be restored and strengthened. Elections under the Maduro
regime have been manipulated and undermined, and it is absolutely
essential that next year's Presidential election proceeds freely and
fairly.
That is why it is so urgent that we pass this bill into law to
empower the State Department to work with our allies and partners and
the Venezuelan people to help them take their country back.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Florida an
additional 1 minute.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Many Venezuelans have fled the chaos in their
country to freedom and safety in my congressional district. The
significant infusion of our Venezuelan friends and neighbors has
affectionately dubbed my hometown of Weston, Florida, as Westonzuela.
We have welcomed them to our community, but we are committed to
joining them in the fight for their country and for their friends and
family members who remain there in the fight. This legislation is an
important step in that battle, and I urge all of my colleagues to join
me in supporting this important legislation.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, I emphasize again that Venezuela is in crisis and we
cannot wait any longer to take action. By passing the Venezuela
Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act, we
can begin to provide the Venezuelan people with the resources they so
desperately need.
But the United States, obviously, cannot do this alone. Sustained
leadership is needed to address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
from the U.N. Secretary General, members of the Security Council, and
other international partners.
It is easy to talk about another country in the abstract, but these
are human beings who are dying and sick. They are human beings just
like us, and it behooves us to make sure that, while we condemn the
brutality of the regime that has a stranglehold on that country, we
feel only sympathy for the people. That is what this bill tries to
address.
So I again urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
I want to again commend my partner from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,
who has done so much work with me through the years, and our chairman,
Ed Royce, whom it has been a real pleasure to work with.
This is another example of important bipartisan legislation that
comes out of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I think that we set a
dialogue and a blueprint for people coming together and working
together. I think that is what the American people want to see.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1600
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues--Mr. Engel, the author, and
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, the cosponsor of this measure--for their
leadership and for bringing the bill here to the floor.
The world has watched with great sadness as President Maduro
continues to run his country into the ground, denying his citizens
access to basic food and denying them access to medicine. His obsession
with consolidating power has resulted in Venezuela's economic collapse,
and it is a collapse created by his wrongheaded populist and socialist
mismanagement that has left his country in dire economic straits.
Even more disturbing to me is that Maduro's lieutenants continue
lining their pockets while Venezuelan citizens go without food and
medicine. This bill reiterates this body's support for the people of
Venezuela by instructing relevant U.S. agencies to develop a strategy
to address their immediate humanitarian needs, while supporting
democracy and human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2658, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________