[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4157-S4158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 741--CONDEMNING THE ILLEGITIMATE REGIME OF NICOLAS 
             MADURO IN THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

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

                              S. Res. 741

       Whereas, since 2005, the United States has imposed targeted 
     sanctions on individuals and entities of the Bolivarian 
     Republic of Venezuela that have engaged in criminal, anti-
     democratic, unconstitutional, or corrupt acts and violated 
     basic human rights;
       Whereas, since 2006, the Secretary of State has determined 
     that Venezuela is not ``cooperating fully with United States 
     anti-terrorism efforts'' as outlined in section 40A of the 
     Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2781);
       Whereas, since coming to power in 2013, Nicolas Maduro and 
     his illegitimate regime have committed numerous criminal, 
     anti-democratic, unconstitutional, and corrupt acts and 
     violated basic human rights, including--
       (1) embezzling billions of dollars from the Venezuelan 
     people, including through the illicit removal of gold from 
     the Central Bank of Venezuela;
       (2) declaring approximately 12 percent of the country to be 
     a part of an ``Orinoco Mining Arc'' and using his position to 
     oversee the exploitation of vital resources for personal 
     gain; and
       (3) establishing the Special Action Force of the National 
     Police (FAES) in 2017, and utilizing them to execute illegal 
     raids and extrajudicial killings;
       Whereas, on January 5, 2019, the people of Venezuela 
     responded to years of suffering and suppression under Nicolas 
     Maduro by electing Juan Guaido as President of the National 
     Assembly of Venezuela, the only remaining democratically 
     elected and legitimate institution in the country;
       Whereas, upon being elected President of the National 
     Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guaido invoked relevant articles 
     of the Venezuelan constitution and became the Interim 
     President of Venezuela;
       Whereas, on January 10, 2019, Nicolas Maduro unlawfully 
     reassumed the presidency of Venezuela, and his rule was 
     deemed illegitimate by many Venezuelans and more than 50 
     countries, including most of the neighboring countries of 
     Venezuela, the United States, and the majority of the 
     European Union;
       Whereas, since unlawfully reassuming the presidency in 
     2019, Nicolas Maduro has exacerbated ongoing economic and 
     humanitarian crises, and forced more than 7,700,000 people to 
     flee Venezuela;

[[Page S4158]]

       Whereas Nicolas Maduro has provided diplomatic support to, 
     and engaged with, countries that have been designated as 
     state sponsors of terrorism under United States law, 
     including by--
       (1) allowing the Republic of Cuba to restructure the 
     Venezuelan military, train armed forces in Venezuela, train 
     Venezuelan intelligence agents in Cuba, and stating that 
     Venezuela is ``grateful to Cuba's revolutionary armed 
     forces'' and ``salute them and will always welcome them'';
       (2) awarding a $490,000,000 contract to the state-owned 
     National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company to 
     revamp the Paraguana Refining Center, the largest refining 
     complex in Venezuela; and
       (3) establishing a diplomatic mission and embassy in the 
     Democratic People's Republic of Korea (commonly known as 
     ``North Korea'') and allowing North Korea to similarly 
     establish a mission and embassy in Venezuela;
       Whereas, in response to the numerous criminal, anti-
     democratic, unconstitutional, and corrupt acts and basic 
     human rights violations committed by Nicolas Maduro and 
     persons serving in his illegitimate regime, the United States 
     has imposed a number of sanctions on him and his enablers, 
     including--
       (1) on March 8, 2015, when President Barack Obama issued 
     Executive Order 13692 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
     blocking property and suspending entry of certain persons 
     contributing to the situation in Venezuela) to sanction 
     persons engaged in public corruption activities and involved 
     in human rights violations, the persecution of political 
     opponents, the curtailment of press freedoms, and the 
     arbitrary arrest and detention of anti-government protestors;
       (2) on August 24, 2017, when President Donald Trump issued 
     Executive Order 13808 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
     imposing additional sanctions with respect to the situation 
     in Venezuela), which prohibited the Government of Venezuela 
     from accessing financial markets of the United States;
       (3) on March 19, 2018, when President Donald Trump issued 
     Executive Order 13827 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
     taking additional steps to address the situation in 
     Venezuela) to prohibit any transaction involving the issuance 
     of any Venezuelan digital currency;
       (4) on May 21, 2018, when President Donald Trump issued 
     Executive Order 13835 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
     prohibiting certain additional transactions with respect to 
     Venezuela) to prohibit transactions related to purchasing 
     Venezuelan debt;
       (5) on August 5, 2019, when President Donald Trump issued 
     Executive Order 13884 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to 
     blocking property of the Government of Venezuela), freezing 
     the assets of the Maduro government in the United States and 
     blocking the property, imposing visa restrictions, and 
     permitting financial sanctions on non-United States persons 
     that assist the Maduro government; and
       (6) under section 7031(c)(1)(A) of the Department of State, 
     Foreign Operations and Related Appropriations Act of 2019 
     (Public Law 116-6; 133 Stat. 317) and section 7031(c)(1)(A) 
     of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related 
     Appropriations Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-94; 133 Stat. 
     2864);
       Whereas, on October 17, 2023, the illegitimate Maduro 
     regime signed the Partial Agreement on the Promotion of 
     Political Rights and Electoral Guarantees for All (commonly 
     known as the ``Barbados Agreement''), which states that all 
     parties, including the opposition party, shall be allowed to 
     freely select their candidates for the presidential election;
       Whereas the Biden Administration--
       (1) on October 18, 2023, in response to the signing of the 
     Barbados Agreement, issued General License No. 44 and 
     suspended certain sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas 
     sector; and
       (2) allowed General License No. 44 to expire on April 18, 
     2024, in response the illegitimate Maduro regime preventing 
     the democratic opposition from registering the candidate of 
     their choice, harassing and intimidating political opponents, 
     and unjustly detaining numerous political actors and members 
     of civil society;
       Whereas Maria Corina Machado--
       (1) was elected by the people of Venezuela on October 26, 
     2023, as the opposition candidate to run against the 
     illegitimate Maduro regime in the July 28, 2024, presidential 
     election in Venezuela;
       (2) was subsequently disqualified on January 26, 2024, by 
     the Supreme Justice Tribunal, the highest court of Venezuela, 
     from running in the election and was not provided the 
     opportunity to respond to the disqualifying allegations in 
     court; and
       (3) has since endorsed Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to run for 
     President of Venezuela since her unwarranted 
     disqualification, stating on the campaign trail, ``We are 
     united and strong'';
       Whereas, on December 20, 2023, the Maduro regime finally 
     released 6 wrongfully detained United States citizens in 
     Venezuela only after the Biden Administration agreed to 
     release Alex Saab, who was charged in Federal court in 
     October 2021, for laundering the proceeds of violations of 
     the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-213; 
     91 Stat. 1494) in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to 
     take advantage of the exchange rate controlled by Venezuela;
       Whereas the Department of State has described Saab as ``one 
     of the two most important money men in the Maduro 
     government'' and ``the middle man'' between Maduro's narco-
     terrorist regime and the Islamic Republic of Iran;
       Whereas, prior to his arrest, Saab established the illegal 
     ``Gold for Gas'' scheme with Iran, allowing the country to 
     avoid sanctions and be paid in Venezuelan gold in exchange 
     for sham ``humanitarian'' deliveries of fuel to Venezuela;
       Whereas, on January 15, 2024, Maduro proved to the world 
     that he operates a criminal enterprise disguised as a country 
     when he named Alex Saab as the head of Venezuela's 
     International Investment Center; and
       Whereas the illegitimate Maduro regime has exhibited a 
     clear pattern of corruption, ruling by force, and undermining 
     stability and democracy in Venezuela: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) rejects the attempt by the illegitimate Maduro regime 
     to hold sham elections and consolidate power through 
     weaponizing institutions, especially the electoral committee 
     and judicial system;
       (2) demands that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela hold 
     free and fair elections on July 28, 2024, and allow all 
     opposition candidates, including Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to 
     register on the ballot and participate in the elections in 
     compliance with the Partial Agreement on the Promotion of 
     Political Rights and Electoral Guarantees for All (commonly 
     known as the ``Barbados Agreement'');
       (3) denounces any attempt by the illegitimate Maduro regime 
     to intimidate and repress the Venezuelan people and its 
     democratic candidates through any kind of violence;
       (4) condemns the illegitimate Maduro regime for the 
     flagrant and repeated acts of corruption, desecrating the 
     rule of law, and engaging in anti-democratic and criminal 
     acts; and
       (5) encourages the Administration to condemn the results of 
     the Venezuelan election on July 28, 2024, if fraud occurs, 
     and to subsequently impose additional sanctions on Maduro and 
     the coconspirators in his illegitimate regime to ensure they 
     are unable to profit through their illegal and corrupt 
     activities.

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