[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9659-H9663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING CONCERN AND CONDEMNATION OVER THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC,
SOCIAL, AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN VENEZUELA
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 259) expressing concern and
condemnation over the political, economic, social, and humanitarian
crisis in Venezuela, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 259
Whereas in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro controls the
Presidency, a majority of the municipalities, the Supreme
Court, the military leadership, and the leadership of
Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), and has gutted the National
Assembly of the power it constitutionally holds;
Whereas in late October 2016, Venezuela's state courts and
National Electoral Council, which are comprised of political
allies of President Maduro, halted efforts to hold a
referendum pursuant to provisions of the Venezuelan
constitution to recall President Maduro, thereby denying the
Venezuelan people the ability to pursue a democratic solution
to Venezuela's crisis;
Whereas Venezuela's National Electoral Council postponed
elections for governors and mayors scheduled for December
2016 and has not set a date to reschedule these elections;
Whereas there have been several attempts at dialogue
between President Maduro and the opposition over the past
year, which have all failed to yield tangible results;
Whereas the Government of Venezuela continues to silence
its citizens through political arrests, with more than 444
political prisoners currently in jail;
Whereas Joshua Holt, a United States citizen, remains
imprisoned in Venezuela with no due process, and four
postponed hearings to date;
Whereas in its 2016 report, Venezuela's Violence
Observatory assessed a widespread use of firearms by
criminals and increased use of violence by police and
military officials, contributing to a homicide rate of 91.8
per 100,000 residents, making Venezuela one of the most
violent countries in the world;
Whereas police and military raids have led to widespread
allegations of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial
killings, mass arbitrary detentions, torture, forced
evictions, and arbitrary deportations;
Whereas Venezuela is immersed in a deep economic crisis,
with shortages of basic food supplies and medicines, and
inflation estimated to top roughly 1,600 percent in 2017,
according to the International Monetary Fund;
Whereas the Venezuelan military controls the production and
distribution of basic food supplies, which has enabled
corruption, fraud, and food trafficking, and exacerbated
shortages throughout the country;
Whereas deteriorating conditions in health care persist,
with the World Health Organization estimating that there are
shortages of 75 percent of necessary medications and medical
supplies, up from 55 percent in 2014 and 67 percent in 2015;
Whereas a recent 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;
Whereas the country is facing increasing outbreaks of
previously eradicated diseases, such as malaria and
diphtheria;
Whereas the Health Ministry in Venezuela published an
epidemiological bulletin in May 2017 (the first since 2015),
showing a 30 percent increase in infant mortality, a 66
percent rise in maternal mortality, and a 76 percent increase
in malaria cases;
Whereas the deteriorating conditions in Venezuela have
prompted tens of thousands
[[Page H9660]]
of Venezuelans to flee to countries throughout the Western
Hemisphere, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia,
Panama, Peru, and the United States, which threatens a wider
refugee crisis in the region;
Whereas there were 18,000 asylum requests from Venezuelans
seeking to enter the United States in 2016, which according
to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services was the
highest number of requests made by any nationality last year;
Whereas the Government of Venezuela has regulated and
reduced the number of local and international media outlets
with opposing views, including CNN en Espanol following its
broadcast of a report alleging that Vice President Tareck El
Aissami was directly linked to a ring of fraudulent
Venezuelan passports provided to foreigners including known
members of the terrorist organization Hezbollah;
Whereas, on February 13, 2017, the Department of the
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated
Venezuela's Vice President Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah as
a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for playing a
significant role in international narcotics trafficking, and
imposed sanctions on Mr. El Aissami and froze his assets in
the United States;
Whereas, on March 23, 2017, fourteen Member States of the
Organization of American States (OAS) published a joint
statement calling for the Government of Venezuela to hold
elections, restore the constitutional powers of the National
Assembly, and release political prisoners;
Whereas, on March 28, 2017, the OAS Permanent Council
agreed by a vote of 20 in favor, 11 against, 2 abstentions,
and 1 absent/nonvoting Member States to move forward in
discussing the situation in Venezuela;
Whereas, on March 28, 2017, the Supreme Court of Venezuela
stripped opposition leaders of the National Assembly of their
parliamentary immunity and began to take steps to consider
prosecuting them for treason;
Whereas, on March 29, 2017, the Venezuelan Supreme Court
seized power from the democratically elected National
Assembly and nullified the legislative branch's ability to
function;
Whereas, on March 31, 2017, in the first major break of a
sitting Venezuelan public official, Venezuelan Attorney
General Luisa Ortega Diaz affirmed the Supreme Court's
actions ``had broken constitutional order'';
Whereas, on March 31, 2017, Venezuelan citizens took to the
streets protesting the Supreme Court's breach of power;
Whereas, on April 1, 2017, the Supreme Court reversed its
earlier decisions taking over the National Assembly's
legislative powers and stripping the legislators of their
parliamentary immunity;
Whereas, on April 26, 2017, the Government of Venezuela
announced its intent to withdraw from the OAS;
Whereas on May 1, 2017, President Maduro announced a
national vote to create a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the
Venezuelan Constitution of 1999, which OAS Secretary General
Luis Almagro stated (in testimony before the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate on July 19, 2017) was
``imposed by decree without the people and against the
people, setting the will of the dictatorship above the
popular will expressed through universal and direct vote'';
Whereas, on May 2, 2017, the Department of State stated,
``We have deep concerns about the motivation for this
constituent assembly, which overrides the will of the
Venezuelan people and further erodes Venezuelan democracy'';
Whereas peaceful protests by Venezuelan citizens since
March of 2017 have been met with violence from Venezuelan
authorities that has caused 100 deaths;
Whereas, on May 17, 2017, the United Nations Security
Council met to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela;
Whereas, on May 18, 2017, the Department of the Treasury
announced United States sanctions against eight Venezuelan
Government officials, all members of Venezuela's Supreme
Court, pursuant to Executive Order 13692, for their
responsibility in issuing a number of rulings that
``interfere with or limit the National Assembly's authority''
and that ``limit the ability of the National Assembly to
conduct its constitutional duties'';
Whereas, on May 23, 2017, President Maduro signed a
document formally establishing the terms for electing members
of a Constituent Assembly, presenting the proposed body as a
way to rewrite the Constitution;
Whereas, on June 2, 2017, President Maduro pledged to hold
a referendum on the proposed new constitution;
Whereas, on June 20, 2017, the OAS General Assembly meeting
was held in Cancun, Mexico, where a resolution regarding the
precarious situation in Venezuela failed to gain the votes
needed for passage;
Whereas Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz is
being legally pursued for defying President Maduro, with the
Supreme Court banning her from leaving the country and
freezing her assets;
Whereas, on July 8, 2017, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez
was released from prison but remains under house arrest;
Whereas, on July 16, 2017, more than seven million people
cast votes in a popular consultation to reject the
Constituent Assembly;
Whereas, on July 19, 2017, Secretary General of the OAS,
Luis Almagro, issued a third report on the crisis in
Venezuela which documented the violations of the constitution
and systemic violations of human rights by the Government of
Venezuela and calling for the immediate suspension of the
Constituent Assembly, the cessation of violent repression,
the opening of a channel for humanitarian assistance, and the
release of political prisoners;
Whereas, on July 20, 2017, the government-controlled
Venezuelan Supreme Court annulled the process of the
appointment of judges by the opposition-controlled National
Assembly;
Whereas, on July 30, 2017, the Government of Venezuela
convened the Constitutent Assembly, which, on August 18,
2017, assumed lawmaking powers to supersede Venezuela's
legitimate National Assembly; and
Whereas the Constituent Assembly voted to remove Luisa
Ortega Diaz from her position of Attorney General on August
5, 2017, and to replace her with Tarek William Saab, who was
sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury on
July 26, 2017, along with 12 other current and former senior
officials of the Government of Venezuela: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the Government of Venezuela to heed the calls of
the international community without delay to hold free, fair,
and open elections, release all political prisoners,
including United States citizens, respect the constitutional
rights of the National Assembly, and open a channel for
international humanitarian assistance and medicines;
(2) urges Organization of American States (OAS) Member
States to continue all efforts to support the principles of
the Inter-American Democratic Charter, regardless of
Venezuela's intent to withdraw from the OAS, and continue
calls for the Government of Venezuela to hold free and fair
elections and release all political prisoners in a timely
manner;
(3) recognizes the strong leadership of OAS Secretary
General Luis Almagro in building a coalition of OAS Member
States in support of democracy and human rights for the
Venezuelan people; and
(4) encourages the President of the United States to
prioritize a resolution to the political, economic, social,
and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and an effective
response to the growing regional refugee crisis that is
emanating from Venezuela, through multilateral cooperation
with partners at the OAS and United Nations, and through
targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for the
deterioration of democratic institutions and the rule of law
in Venezuela.
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 all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection. C
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Congressman DeSantis for his work on
this resolution.
The world has watched as Venezuela's economy has nearly collapsed,
bringing about a humanitarian crisis on top of the existing political
crisis that we see there. Maduro's decision to sideline the
democratically elected National Assembly by forming a so-called
constituent assembly made up of his lieutenants has cemented Venezuela
as a full-fledged dictatorship.
The administration made clear through a combination of sanctions and
regional engagement that Maduro's violation of Venezuela's constitution
continues to destabilize not just Venezuela, but it is destabilizing
this entire region. And the sanctions also made clear that the Maduro
regime's corruption and involvement in drug trafficking is known and
will not be tolerated.
Venezuela's once prosperous economy is isolated and is suffering
record-high inflation rates. The humanitarian crisis, fueled by
shortages of food and shortages of medicine, has resulted in the
resurgence of diseases and a big increase in infant mortality. All of
this has led to even more unrest, fueling the potential of another
major migration crisis right here in the Western Hemisphere.
The destabilizing effect of the Maduro regime must end. The
resumption of talks this week between the opposition and the Maduro
regime cannot
[[Page H9661]]
be just another way for the regime to buy time. The international
community, regional leaders, and this body must be united in our
insistence that Maduro take seriously the need for resolution of this
serious political and humanitarian crisis.
Passage of this measure will send a strong, bipartisan message that
Congress stands with the Venezuelan people and that Congress stands in
favor of democracy and transparency and against corruption and against
human rights violations.
This resolution calls on regional leaders and the Organization of
American States to continue to pressure Maduro to release political
prisoners, to dissolve the unconstitutional constituent assembly, and,
most importantly, to schedule fair and transparent elections now.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.
Let me start by thanking the chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, Ed Royce of California, for his leadership and for moving a
second measure forward today on the crisis in Venezuela.
I also thank Mr. DeSantis for authorizing this resolution, which
expresses deep concern about the political, economic, social, and
humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
I again thank Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the gentlewoman from Florida, who
is really our leader when it comes to things in the Western Hemisphere.
Let me just say that, when the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro,
chose to move forward with a sham constituent assembly election in
July, as far as I am concerned, he took the final step in making his
country a full-blown dictatorship. The majority of Venezuelans stayed
clear of polling stations and chose not to participate in what was yet
another effort from that government to distract from the country's real
problem, which, as we have been saying, is a humanitarian crisis
created by President Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, an
increasingly dangerous human rights climate.
Just last week, the Venezuelan human rights group, Foro Penal, joined
Human Rights Watch in releasing a report documenting abuses in the
country that have taken place over the past year. I would like to
mention a few statistics from this report that shows you just how
repressive the Venezuelan Government has become.
Fifty-four hundred people have been detained in relation to
antigovernment protests in early April; 3,900 of them are still subject
to arbitrary criminal prosecutions and measures that limit their
freedoms. And 757 civilians were prosecuted by military courts in
violation of both Venezuelan and international law. Even more
alarmingly, 124 Venezuelans were killed and 2,000 injured this year
while taking part in antigovernment protests.
The Human Rights Watch report states:
In 53 cases involving at least 232 people, detainees were
subjected to physical and psychological abuse, with the
apparent purpose of either punishing them or forcing them to
incriminate themselves or others. In some of these cases, the
abuses suffered by the detainees clearly constituted torture.
These include electric shocks, severe beatings, being hung in
stress positions, sleep deprivation, asphyxiation, and sexual
abuse, including, in some cases, rape.
In an August report, the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights expressed a similar sentiment pointing to
``the existence of a policy to repress political dissent and instill
fear in the population to curb demonstrations.''
I think it is important to point out that, year after year, Democrats
and Republicans have come to the House floor to call attention to the
erosion of democracy in Venezuela. As my colleagues have said,
Venezuela should be the leader in South America, the most prosperous
country in South America, with huge oil reserves. Instead, it is a
basket case because of Maduro and because of Chavez.
For many years, it seemed that the United States was an outlier in
raising our voices, while many in the hemisphere remained silent.
Fortunately, that has changed. Leaders throughout the Americas have
been increasingly willing to stand with the people of Venezuela.
It is hard to find a silver lining for Venezuela in such a dark time,
but I do hope, from the strong resolve of our friends in Latin America
and around the world in rejecting Venezuela's sham constituent assembly
and calling out human rights abuses in the country, they will realize
that we care about them, that we know what is going on, and that we are
not going to let their repressive government sweep things under the
rug.
In November, the European Union put in place a wide range of
sanctions on Venezuela, including an arms embargo, visa bans, and asset
freezes. Our friends in Canada imposed sanctions on human rights
violators in the Maduro government, and, on October 26, Canadian
Foreign Minister Freeland hosted the Lima Group of Foreign Ministers in
Toronto to seek a hemispheric solution to the crisis in Venezuela.
The OAS, the Organization of American States, has also played a
critical role in increasing pressure on the Maduro regime, particularly
under the leadership of OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro.
But we cannot rely on the OAS alone. The United Nations, both with
the Security Council and through the Office of the Secretary-General,
must do much more to bring attention to Venezuela on the world stage
and hold its leaders accountable.
And today, the House of Representatives, here in Washington, goes on
record again underscoring our commitment to the people of Venezuela and
condemning the destructive policies of the Maduro regime. With this
measure, we are saying enough is enough.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank Mr. DeSantis for authoring this
resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. DeSantis), a member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee and author of this measure.
Mr. DeSANTIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce for moving this
through our committee, and I am glad that we are getting a lot of
support for this resolution on the House floor today.
President Trump, when he spoke at the U.N. in September, said that
``the problem with Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly
implemented, but that it has been faithfully implemented.'' I think the
results speak for themselves. You have a country that is in chaos, that
is a basket case, and you have an autocrat doing whatever he can to
cling to power.
Think about what is going on in Venezuela:
You have the country with perhaps the largest oil reserves in the
world, and yet they have massive fuel shortages;
You have hyperinflation that is over 2,000 percent;
Diseases that we thought had been eradicated, like malaria, are now
coming back;
There are massive food shortages such that wide swaths of the
population are losing 10 or 15 pounds a year;
And, of course, the Government of Venezuela is very likely to have to
default on their debt.
Maduro and his socialist junta are dominating the country. They are
oppressing a great many, many people. And, of course, he is aided in
this effort by his patron and adviser, Raul Castro, and the Cuban
dictatorship. We cannot forget their role in this because they are
really central to a lot of what is going on there.
We have been speaking about some of the things Cuba did to our
diplomats. That has not been fully resolved to my satisfaction.
So Cuba's role in this is really nefarious. You really have the worst
elements of Latin America on display in Venezuela.
I think what this resolution does is it says that this Congress
stands foursquare behind the people of Venezuela and their rights and
their desires to live in a successful, free, and democratic country;
and we do call on the President to continue some of the actions he has
taken, some aggressive actions in sanctioning key individuals. We want
the Trump administration to clearly be on the side of the people of
Venezuela and to make clear that Maduro's failed socialist regime
simply cannot continue in this way.
So, please, pass the resolution. What we have done today is just one
step,
[[Page H9662]]
but I hope the U.S. can do more to aid the people of Venezuela. They
are fighting against some tall odds and a lot of power coming down on
them, but we have got to do something.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support this resolution.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say that we have spent a lot of time
talking about Venezuela on the House floor today. I think that is a
good thing. I think it is good that people know what is happening in
Venezuela, and I think it is good to know that the tyrants in Venezuela
know that we know what is happening in Venezuela.
{time} 1615
The eyes of the world are watching Venezuela and its government.
President Maduro must make a real commitment to free and fair elections
and release all political prisoners.
In particular, I would like to note the detention of American citizen
Joshua Holt and to urge his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
I think it is important for us to raise these issues on the House
floor, so I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 259.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the chairman emeritus of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs and one of this body's preeminent
experts on the Western Hemisphere.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank our wonderful chairman for
yielding me time. I also thank our ranking member, Eliot Engel for his
hard work. This committee is a model for other committees in the U.S.
House of Representatives. We truly work in a bipartisan manner and it
is because of the leadership of Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel. They set the
pace.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill before us, H. Res. 259,
by my Florida colleague, Congressman Ron DeSantis, who has been very
active in the issue of human rights in our Western Hemisphere. His bill
expresses concern and condemnation over the dire political, economic,
social, and humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Venezuela
today. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important resolution. I
thank him for his leadership on this issue, on the issue of the lack of
freedom and democracy in my native homeland of Cuba, and what he is
helping the people of Nicaragua achieve in having separation of powers.
Mr. Speaker, there has been a real problem throughout the hemisphere,
and by approving this important measure, which is bipartisan, today,
this body will once again demonstrate that we stand in solidarity with
the people of Venezuela and their fight for justice, freedom, and
democracy.
These are values that we hold so dearly in our country. We take it
for granted that we live in this great country where we can express our
thoughts in this wonderful republic, but in so many places in our very
own hemisphere, Mr. Speaker, they don't have that luxury.
Venezuelans have been deprived of these key values of justice,
freedom, and democracy for far too long, first at the grip of Hugo
Chavez, a failed socialist leader, and now with his handpicked
successor, another failure of a man and a leader, Nicolas Maduro.
The Maduro regime has hijacked all democratic institutions in
Venezuela. It has run the economy so far into the ground that there is
hardly any food or medicine or even basic necessities. Inflation is at
an all-time high and people cannot afford their daily life.
The economic situation is in turmoil. It is heading towards an even
deeper downward spiral because this regime of Nicolas Maduro is corrupt
and is incompetent and they only care about filling their own coffers
and staying in power, no matter what. All the while, the people of
Venezuela continue to suffer.
But this does not seem to trouble Maduro. It does not seem to trouble
his cronies. They are enriching themselves on the suffering of the
people of Venezuela. From this illicit activity, like drug trafficking
and corruption, they are filling their coffers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lewis of Minnesota). The time of the
gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes
to the gentlewoman from Florida.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, they are even using this humanitarian crisis that they
have created to defraud organizations that are looking to bring much-
needed food into the country.
This resolution in front of us, Mr. Speaker, is bipartisan and
strong. It calls on the administration to support the people of
Venezuela, to continue to impose targeted sanctions on those
responsible for the destruction of democratic institutions in
Venezuela.
This resolution also urges important bodies, like the Organization of
American States--and we will have soon a new U.S. Ambassador to that
esteemed institution--to support the principles of the Inter-American
Democratic Charter. It demands a noncorrupt electoral council, as well
as calling for the release of all political prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. DeSantis for authoring this resolution. I
urge my colleagues to offer their strong support and to join us in
sending a unified message to Maduro that his actions will not be
allowed to continue without a strong U.S. response.
What is that response, Mr. Speaker?
I call on the administration to use more targeted sanctions. We have
sent to the administration a very long list of names. So have Senators
Rubio and Menendez. Mr. Sires, Mr. Royce, and Mr. Engel have joined me.
There are many more people, thugs and cronies of Maduro, who are
enriching themselves with the suffering of the Venezuelan people. They
want to come to the U.S. We should not extend that courtesy to them.
There are consequences to these acts. We will continue to pressure the
Maduro regime until democratic order is restored in Venezuela and this
grave humanitarian crisis is resolved once and for all.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Royce for the time. I thank Mr. Engel; my
friend, Mr. Acevedo; and Eric Jacobstein on the Democratic side for
their help with this resolution. I most especially thank the author of
this resolution, our great Congressman, Ron DeSantis.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me again thank Congressman DeSantis, Mr. Engel, and
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for their work on this resolution.
I think it is a heartbreaking situation what is going on in Venezuela
today. It is rather astounding that Venezuela sits on the world's
largest proven oil reserves, yet here we have a situation where its
citizens lack medicine and food at this time.
I think the recent report that 20 percent of the country's medical
professionals have fled Venezuela amid the Maduro regime's self-
inflicted political, economic, and humanitarian crisis is indicative of
the problem. Inflation right now is reaching 720 percent.
Support of this resolution will send a strong unified message that
Congress stands with the Venezuelan people, that we call on regional
leaders and the entire international community to hold Maduro
accountable for this crisis and to release political prisoners and,
importantly, to hold elections immediately.
Mr. Speaker, I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in support,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, we have before us two pieces of
legislation regarding the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis
that is occurring in the country of Venezuela, which has been reduced
to poverty and near starvation due to the repressive regime of Nicolas
Maduro and that of his dictatorial predecessor Hugo Chavez.
I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. DeSantis, for introducing H.
Res. 259, of which I am an original cosponsor, and to applaud Mr. Engel
for highlighting the public corruption and threat to democracy in
Venezuela via his H.R. 2658, the Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and
Defense of Democratic Governance Act.
I also would like to single out the lead Republican cosponsor of that
legislation, the gentlewoman from Florida and my friend and colleague,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her work over the years in calling attention
to the deplorable human rights situation not only in Venezuela, but
also in Cuba, Nicaragua, China and so many countries the world over.
As Ileana understands so well, it is the ideology of the Left--be it
hard core Communism, or the Socialism of Hugo Chavez and
[[Page H9663]]
now that of his understudy in oppression, Nicolas Maduro--which has
brought suffering to so many people.
The people of Venezuela deserve far better.
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 agree to the resolution, H. Res. 259, 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 of California. 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.
____________________