[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 51 (Monday, March 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2769-H2771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 854) to provide humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people,
including Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the Americas and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 854
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Humanitarian Assistance to
the Venezuelan People Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON THE COORDINATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF
VENEZUELA INCLUDING STRATEGY ON FUTURE EFFORTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 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
appropriate congressional committees a report outlining the
coordination of humanitarian assistance to the people of
Venezuela, both in Venezuela and throughout the Western
Hemisphere, with nongovernmental organizations and
international organizations operating in Venezuela or
countries in the region to alleviate the suffering of the
Venezuelan people.
(b) Matters to Be Included.--The report required under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A description of how and under what circumstances the
following humanitarian assistance has been 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 and Department of State best
practices in delivering humanitarian assistance, particularly
with regard to food assistance, and how such best practices
are being utilized in providing humanitarian assistance to
Venezuela and countries in the region.
(3) A description of current and anticipated challenges to
distributing humanitarian assistance in Venezuela and
countries hosting Venezuelan migrants.
(4) A description of efforts to ensure that humanitarian
and development assistance for Venezuelans is coordinated
with other United States bilateral assistance in the Western
Hemisphere and does not result in duplication or omission of
such other bilateral assistance.
(5) A description of how the pre-positioning and
distribution of humanitarian assistance is being monitored
and evaluated, the number of beneficiaries reached, an
assessment of how humanitarian and development assistance is
benefitting Venezuelan migrants inside and outside of the
country, and what additional staff may be necessary to manage
such assistance.
(6) A strategy for future efforts to provide humanitarian
assistance to the people of Venezuela that includes a
description of future efforts regarding the matters described
in paragraphs (1) through (5).
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF CONGRESS.
Congress strongly condemns all violent actions by the
Maduro regime and Venezuela's security forces to block and
divert humanitarian assistance from entering Venezuela.
SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES EFFORTS
TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE
PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall
submit to appropriate congressional committees a report
assessing the impact of United States humanitarian assistance
on the people of Venezuela, both in Venezuela and throughout
the Western Hemisphere, including the total number of
beneficiaries reached.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA.
(a) In General.--The President is authorized to provide
humanitarian assistance to support the people of Venezuela,
both in Venezuela and throughout the Western Hemisphere, in
accordance with established international humanitarian
principles.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
not less than $150,000,000 is necessary for each of fiscal
years 2020 and 2021 to carry out this section.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the President such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to carry out
this section.
SEC. 6. DEFINITION.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
(A) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(B) The Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(C) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
[[Page H2770]]
(D) The Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) Venezuelan security forces.--The term ``Venezuelan
security forces'' includes the following:
(A) The Bolivarian National Armed Forces, including the
Bolivarian National Guard.
(B) The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service.
(C) The Bolivarian National Police.
(D) The Bureau for Scientific, Criminal and Forensic
Investigations of the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and
Peace.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 854, the Humanitarian Assistance to
the Venezuelan People Act of 2019, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I
thank Ms. Mucarsel-Powell for her leadership on this important issue.
From her first day as a Member of Congress, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell made it
clear that supporting the Venezuelan people and making sure they
receive the humanitarian assistance they need would be at the top of
her agenda. I am proud to partner with her on this bill.
Over the last few years, we have watched in horror as the Venezuelan
economy collapsed and rule of law in that country evaporated. Today,
the man-made crisis created by the Chavez-Maduro regime in Venezuela
has reached unthinkable levels.
Ninety percent of the Venezuelan population lives in poverty. Earlier
this month, the country suffered another massive blow when its electric
grid collapsed. This made it impossible to refrigerate food, and some
Venezuelans could no longer receive necessary medical treatments.
These tremendous hardships have generated a mass exodus from
Venezuela. Almost 10 percent of the population has fled the country
over the last 3 years. The United Nations projects that by the end of
this year, Venezuelans would make up the largest refugee population in
the world.
As suffering is only expected to worsen, Congress must do everything
it can to help the people of Venezuela. Ms. Mucarsel-Powell's
legislation addresses the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela head-on by
authorizing new funding and requiring that USAID and the State
Department develop a humanitarian assistance strategy for the
Venezuelan people in Venezuela and throughout the region.
{time} 1700
Other countries in the region and particularly our close allies,
Colombia, have done so much to open up their hearts and their borders
to the Venezuelan refugees. It is important that the United States help
ease the burdens on our regional partners, and this bill is an
important step forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Humanitarian Assistance
to the Venezuelan People Act introduced by my colleague from Florida
(Ms. Mucarsel-Powell) and supported enthusiastically by our chairman,
Albio Sires.
The humanitarian crisis in Venezuela is unprecedented in our
hemisphere and is affecting the entire region. So far, more than 3
million Venezuelans have fled the criminal socialistic dictatorship of
Maduro, whose mismanagement and repression are creating immense
challenges for neighboring communities.
As Chairman Sires said, there are millions of refugees in Colombia,
the United States, and around the world who fled from Venezuelan
oppression.
This bill will ensure that we have a long-term strategy for U.S.-led
humanitarian assistance to address the crisis so that it is coordinated
effectively with local partners to meet the needs of its beneficiaries.
It condemns violent actions by the Maduro regime to block
humanitarian aid from entering the country, and it authorizes funding
necessary for future humanitarian assistance.
The administration has courageously led the humanitarian effort for
the people of Venezuela and has received invaluable support from the
Governments of Colombia and Brazil; and, more recently, the Government
of the Netherlands has agreed to allow the nearby island of Curacao to
be used as a hub to support future humanitarian aid.
The United States and this Congress must remain united in our support
for the people of Venezuela in their struggle for freedom and
democracy, especially as they struggle to survive without adequate food
and basic medicines.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the author of this bill,
the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Mucarsel-Powell).
Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Sires) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney).
Nicolas Maduro is an illegitimate president. As a result of his
brutal dictatorship, the Venezuelan people are suffering in one of the
worst humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere.
Without basic food and medicine, people are starving and dying. As
many as 3.4 million Venezuelans have left the country and migrated to
neighboring countries, which are having immense difficulty absorbing
such high volumes of migrants.
My bill would help alleviate the pain of the Venezuelan people by
providing humanitarian assistance in accordance with established
international humanitarian principles to those within the country and
in the region. It gives Congress the authority to provide as much
funding as is necessary to address the crisis in both 2020 and 2021,
with no less than $150 million for each year.
It also requires the State Department and USAID to show the American
people the most effective way to coordinate with nongovernmental and
international organizations operating throughout the region, and the
bill also requires the administration to submit a report to Congress
assessing the impact of U.S. humanitarian assistance.
Maduro has proven that he is willing to let his own people suffer and
die rather than accept international aid. It is not enough to provide
USAID with the funds for this aid. The administration must show that
they are strategically trying everything they can to get the aid to the
Venezuelan people inside the country, not just leaving it at the
border. That is what this bill will achieve.
Finally, the bill expresses Congress' strong condemnation of all
violent actions by the Maduro regime and Venezuela's security forces to
block and divert humanitarian assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this important
legislation.
Mr. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we have no additional speakers.
I would like to thank the author once again, my colleague, Ms.
Mucarsel-Powell, and my neighbor in the Cannon Building.
I would like to also thank, once again, Chairman Sires for his
leadership in this area, and I enthusiastically encourage everyone in
this Congress to support this bill and prepare for the day when we can
get aid to the people of Venezuela.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
I would like to once again thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Mucarsel-Powell) for her remarkable leadership on this issue, which
demonstrates her strong commitment to the Venezuelan people and to her
constituents who care so deeply about this issue.
It is crucial that we stand with our partners and allies in the
region to provide desperately needed assistance to the Venezuelan
people and help relieve the burden that Colombians and Venezuela's
other neighbors have taken on over the last few years.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
[[Page H2771]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 854, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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