[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WESTERN HEMISPHERE ELECTIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the Western Hemisphere is set to see 
many key Presidential, parliamentarian, and municipal elections this 
year, and those will have far-reaching implications.
  Sadly, one place where we know we won't see elections is in my native 
country of Cuba. The Cuban people continue to be denied the right to 
choose their own leaders. The system in Cuba is a farce. The President 
of Cuba--using that term loosely--is selected by the National Assembly, 
and the National Assembly is selected by the regime in what can only be 
described as a circle of corruption.
  Raul Castro claims that he will step down and allow for a transition 
of power in April. The reality is, even if there is a so-called 
transition, the balance of power will remain with Raul Castro and the 
Cuban people will continue to suffer.
  The U.S. must not give Castro any concessions until we see the regime 
meet the basic conditions laid out in our laws, U.S. law. We want to 
help the people of Cuba work toward freedom of expression; freedom of 
assembly; and free, fair, and transparent elections.
  Then there is Castro's protege in Venezuela: Maduro. Venezuela is set 
to hold elections this year, but with Maduro in power, there is little 
that we can expect. Even if elections are held, Mr. Speaker, we know 
that it will be a fraudulent process, just as the municipal elections 
were last year.
  Maduro's grip on the supreme court and the supreme electoral tribunal 
make it impossible for the voice of the people to be heard. The 
administration has, thankfully, taken action against Maduro regime 
officials, but there is so much more that we can do, Mr. Speaker. There 
is a severe food and medicine shortage in Venezuela as a result of 
Maduro's failed and oppressive socialist policies.
  That is why Eliot Engel and I introduced and the House passed last 
month the Venezuelan Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic 
Governance Act. Our bill mandates a strategy from the USAID to provide 
humanitarian aid to the people of Venezuela. The bill also aims to 
fight widespread corruption among Venezuelan governmental officials. I 
hope that our colleagues in the Senate will take action and pass this 
measure so we can get help to these individuals rapidly.
  Mr. Speaker, Brazil is another country that has important 
Presidential elections this year. With public opinion at an all-time 
low, increasing public debt, and high-profile corruption allegations 
reaching the highest levels in Brazil, the country is at a crossroads.
  In December 2016, the Department of Justice reached a plea agreement 
with Brazilian conglomerate, Odebrecht, for at least $3.5 billion in 
global penalties to resolve charges of bribery and what has amounted to 
be the largest case of its kind in history.
  Last January I wrote a letter to then-Attorney General Lynch urging 
the DOJ to disclose the names of the officials referenced in the 
Odebrecht case. I again followed up this month, but, unfortunately, the 
Department of Justice will not disclose the names of officials in Latin 
America that it knows to have been involved in these corruption 
schemes. It is very troubling because many of these officials could 
very well be standing for elections in the region this year.
  Mr. Speaker, we worked so hard over the years to help root out 
corruption in these countries, and it would be a shame to set progress 
back if these corrupt officials are allowed to continue to act with 
impunity.
  We will also see critical Presidential elections in Colombia this 
year. Colombia is still at a pivotal point in the aftermath of the 
failed agreements between the government and the terror group, FARC. 
Colombia still has a way to go in bringing justice to the victims of 
the FARC. With members of the FARC, a terror group, aspiring to 
government positions, I worry that FARC terrorists will soon be elected 
officials. Their so-called peace deal allows these terrorists to run 
for public office.
  Mr. Speaker, as you can see, this year will be a crucial year. It is 
crucial for the United States to be engaged and for election 
observation missions to monitor the electoral process closely to ensure 
that they are indeed free, that they are fair, and that they are 
transparent.

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