[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 123 (Monday, July 29, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5539-S5540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Venezuela

  Madam President, for 25 years, the Venezuelan people have suffered. 
They have endured the Chavez-Maduro despotic regimes--regimes that 
stole their money, ruined their country's infrastructure, destroyed 
public services, tortured their politicians, and tried to destabilize 
the entire region.
  One little factoid: At one point, Venezuela had the third richest 
economy in the Western Hemisphere per capita, and now their per capita 
income is that of Haiti. They have gone from third to being the worst.
  But Venezuela's freedom-loving citizens kept fighting. Yesterday, 
again, they went out to vote for freedom in a movement led by Maria 
Corina Machado, the opposition leader who was herself barred from 
running, and Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition's candidate. The result 
was an overwhelming--overwhelming--win for the opposition and for 
democracy.
  And here is Maria, and here is Edmundo.
  Multiple exit polls and quick counts show the opposition winning by 
more than 30 percent. Edmundo Gonzalez won with the largest landslide 
in Venezuelan history. This landslide win comes despite the regime's 
efforts that barred the vast majority of the 8 million Venezuelan 
exiles from voting. The real electoral numbers were so bad that the 
regime simply stopped counting votes and made up numbers.
  Now, Venezuelans obviously want change, and the regime does not. They 
are desperately holding on to whatever power they can grab. This is a 
critical moment in our hemisphere. Do they have to wait with another 25 
years of tyranny and repression when they are just 3 hours from the 
United States? Do we, the United States, allow the Russians, the 
Chinese Communist Party, the drug cartels, Iran, and others to use 
Venezuela as ground zero in their plans to harm the United States and 
our allies in the hemisphere? Do we allow Venezuela's collapse to 
eventually flood the United States with refugees?
  We need to change course. It starts by recognizing President-elect 
Edmundo Gonzalez. It starts with an

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international coalition to ensure the political transition that 
Venezuelans already began at the polling booth.
  The world knows what happened at the ballot box over the weekend, but 
we must have the courage to come together, stand against Maduro, and 
tell him: Not this time.
  I stand here today saying so: Not this time.
  Maria Corina has always said her fight will ``go until the end,'' as 
she puts it. The free world must ensure that this is not the end.
  With that, I yield the floor.

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