[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13731-13733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING PROFOUND CONCERN ABOUT THE ONGOING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, 
              SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further consideration 
of the resolution (H. Res. 851) expressing profound concern about the 
ongoing political, economic, social and humanitarian crisis in 
Venezuela, urging the release of political prisoners, and calling for 
respect of constitutional and democratic processes, and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, 
although I do not intend to object, I am proud to be the sponsor of H. 
Res. 851, which expresses profound concern about the shameful and 
rampant corruption of President Maduro's government and the plight of 
the Venezuelan people.
  The Maduro regime's efforts to silence political opposition leaders, 
including by jailing Leopoldo Lopez and Daniel de Ceballos, are 
unconscionable. And just last week, the National Electoral Council 
announced an outrageously high barrier to the referendum on his 
government that millions of Venezuelans are demanding.
  His flagrant misconduct has brought a series of devastating crises to 
Venezuela. Families all across the country are starving. Their local 
store shelves are barren, many of them empty of both food and 
lifesaving medicine.
  And Maduro still refuses to listen to the will of his people. They 
are crying out for their voices to be heard and their rights respected, 
and we must ensure they are not crying out in vain.
  I am proud to cosponsor this legislation with my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
  I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The reservation is withdrawn.
  Is there further objection to the request of the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen)?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 851

       Whereas the deterioration of basic governance and the 
     economic crisis in Venezuela have reached deeply troubling 
     levels, which in turn have led to an unprecedented 
     humanitarian situation in Venezuela where millions of people 
     are suffering from severe shortages of essential medicines 
     and basic food products;
       Whereas Venezuela lacks more than 80 percent of the basic 
     medical supplies and equipment needed to treat its 
     population, including medicine to treat chronic illnesses and 
     cancer as well as basic antibiotics, and 85 percent of 
     pharmacies are at risk of bankruptcy, according to the 
     Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation;
       Whereas, despite the massive shortages of basic foodstuffs 
     and essential medicines, President of Venezuela Nicolas 
     Maduro has rejected repeated requests from the majority of 
     members of the National Assembly and civil society 
     organizations to bring humanitarian aid into the country;
       Whereas the International Monetary Fund assesses that, in 
     Venezuela, inflation reached 275 percent and the gross 
     domestic product contracted 5.7 percent in 2015, and further 
     projects that inflation will reach 720 percent and the gross 
     domestic product will contract an additional 8 percent in 
     2016;
       Whereas Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian 
     crisis is fueling social tensions that are resulting in 
     growing incidents of public unrest, looting, and violence 
     among citizens;
       Whereas these social distortions are taking place amidst an 
     alarming climate of violence as Caracas continues to have the 
     highest per capita homicide rate in the world at 120 per 
     100,000 citizens, according to the United Nations Office on 
     Drug and Crime;
       Whereas the deterioration of governance in Venezuela has 
     been exacerbated by widespread public corruption and the 
     involvement of public officials in illicit narcotics 
     trafficking and related money laundering, which has led to 
     indictments by the United States Department of Justice and 
     ongoing investigations by the United States Department of the 
     Treasury and the United States Drug Enforcement 
     Administration;
       Whereas domestic and international human rights groups 
     recognize more than 85 political prisoners in Venezuela, 
     including opposition leader and former Chacao mayor Leopoldo 
     Lopez, Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, Caracas Mayor Antonio 
     Ledezma, former Zulia governor Manuel Rosales, and former San 
     Cristobal mayor Daniel Ceballos;
       Whereas, in December 2015, the people of Venezuela elected 
     the opposition coalition (Mesa de Unidad Democratica) to a 
     two-thirds majority in the unicameral National Assembly, with 
     112 out of the 167 seats compared with 55 seats for the 
     government's Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela party;
       Whereas, in late December 2015, the outgoing National 
     Assembly increased the number of seats in the Supreme Court 
     of Venezuela and confirmed magistrates politically aligned 
     with the Maduro Administration and, thereafter, the expanded 
     Supreme Court has blocked four legislators, including 3 
     opposition legislators, from taking office;
       Whereas, during the first 6 months of the new legislature, 
     the Supreme Court has repeatedly issued politically motivated 
     judgments to overturn legislation passed by the 
     democratically elected National Assembly and block internal 
     legislative procedures;
       Whereas, in 2016, President Maduro has utilized emergency 
     and legislative decree powers to bypass the National 
     Assembly, which, alongside the actions of the Supreme Court, 
     have severely undermined the principles of separation of 
     powers in Venezuela;
       Whereas, in May 2016, Organization of American States 
     Secretary General Luis Almagro presented a 132-page report 
     outlining grave alterations of the democratic order in 
     Venezuela and invoked Article 20 of the Inter-American 
     Democratic Charter, which calls on the OAS Permanent Council 
     ``to undertake a collective assessment of the situation'';
       Whereas, in June 2016, at a joint press conference with 
     Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Enrique 
     Pena Nieto of Mexico, President Barack Obama stated, ``Given 
     the very serious situation in Venezuela and the worsening 
     plight of the Venezuelan people, together we're calling on 
     the government and opposition to engage in meaningful 
     dialogue and urge the Venezuelan government to respect the 
     rule of law and the authority of the National Assembly.''; 
     and
       Whereas, at the joint press conference with Prime Minister 
     Justin Trudeau and President Pena Nieto, President Barack 
     Obama

[[Page 13732]]

     continued, ``Political prisoners should be released. The 
     democratic process should be respected and that includes 
     legitimate efforts to pursue a recall referendum consistent 
     with Venezuelan law.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses its profound concern about widespread 
     shortages of essential medicines and basic food products 
     faced by the people of Venezuela, and urges President Maduro 
     to permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
       (2) calls on the Government of Venezuela to immediately 
     release all political prisoners, to provide protections for 
     freedom of expression and assembly, and to respect 
     internationally recognized human rights;
       (3) supports meaningful efforts towards a dialogue that 
     leads to respect for Venezuela's constitutional mechanisms 
     and resolves the country's political, economic, social, and 
     humanitarian crisis;
       (4) affirms its support for OAS Secretary General Almagro's 
     invocation of Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic 
     Charter and urges the OAS Permanent Council, which represents 
     all of the organization's member states, to undertake a 
     collective assessment of the constitutional and democratic 
     order in Venezuela;
       (5) expresses its great concern over the Venezuelan 
     executive's lack of respect for the principle of separation 
     of powers, its overreliance on emergency decree powers, and 
     its subjugation of judicial independence;
       (6) calls on the Government of Venezuela and security 
     forces to respect the Constitution of Venezuela, including 
     constitutional provisions that provide Venezuelan citizens 
     with the right to peacefully pursue a fair and timely recall 
     referendum for their President this year if they so choose;
       (7) stresses the urgency of strengthening the rule of law 
     and increasing efforts to combat impunity and public 
     corruption in Venezuela, which has bankrupted a resource-rich 
     country, fuels rising social tensions, and contributes to 
     elevated levels of crime and violence; and
       (8) urges the President of the United States to provide 
     full support for OAS efforts in favor of constitutional and 
     democratic solutions to the political impasse, and to 
     instruct appropriate Federal agencies to hold officials of 
     the Government of Venezuela accountable for violations of 
     United States law and abuses of internationally recognized 
     human rights.

                 Amendment Offered by Ms. Ros-Lehtinen

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the text of the 
resolution at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following:

     That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses its profound concern about widespread 
     shortages of essential medicines and basic food products 
     faced by the people of Venezuela, and urges President Maduro 
     to permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
       (2) calls on the Government of Venezuela to immediately 
     release all political prisoners, including United States 
     citizens, to provide protections for freedom of expression 
     and assembly, and to respect internationally recognized human 
     rights;
       (3) supports meaningful efforts towards a dialogue that 
     leads to respect for Venezuela's constitutional mechanisms 
     and resolves the country's political, economic, social, and 
     humanitarian crisis;
       (4) affirms its support for OAS Secretary General Almagro's 
     invocation of Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic 
     Charter and urges the OAS Permanent Council, which represents 
     all of the organization's member states, to undertake a 
     collective assessment of the constitutional and democratic 
     order in Venezuela;
       (5) expresses its great concern over the Venezuelan 
     executive's lack of respect for the principle of separation 
     of powers, its overreliance on emergency decree powers, and 
     its threat to judicial independence;
       (6) calls on the Government of Venezuela and security 
     forces to respect the Constitution of Venezuela, including 
     constitutional provisions that provide Venezuelan citizens 
     with the right to peacefully pursue a fair and timely recall 
     referendum for their President this year;
       (7) stresses the urgency of strengthening the rule of law 
     and increasing efforts to combat impunity and public 
     corruption in Venezuela, which has bankrupted a resource-rich 
     country, fuels rising social tensions, and contributes to 
     elevated levels of crime and violence;
       (8) urges the President of the United States to provide 
     full support for OAS efforts in favor of constitutional and 
     democratic solutions to the political impasse, and to 
     instruct appropriate Federal agencies to hold officials of 
     the Government of Venezuela accountable for violations of 
     United States law and abuses of internationally recognized 
     human rights; and
       (9) urges the President to continue to stand in solidarity 
     with the Venezuelan people by urging the Maduro government 
     to--
       (A) hold a fair and free recall referendum by the end of 
     this calendar year;
       (B) release all political prisoners, including United 
     States citizens, from prison;
       (C) adhere to democratic principles; and
       (D) permit the delivery of emergency food and medicine.

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent to dispense with the reading.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, was agreed to.


         Amendment to the Preamble Offered by Ms. Ros-Lehtinen

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the preamble at 
the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas the deterioration of basic governance and the 
     economic crisis in Venezuela have reached deeply troubling 
     levels, which in turn have led to an unprecedented 
     humanitarian situation in Venezuela where millions of people 
     are suffering from severe shortages of essential medicines 
     and basic food products;
       Whereas Venezuela lacks more than 80 percent of the basic 
     medical supplies and equipment needed to treat its 
     population, including medicine to treat chronic illnesses and 
     cancer as well as basic antibiotics, and 85 percent of 
     pharmacies are at risk of bankruptcy, according to the 
     Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation;
       Whereas, despite the massive shortages of basic foodstuffs 
     and essential medicines, President of Venezuela Nicolas 
     Maduro has rejected repeated requests from the majority of 
     members of the National Assembly and civil society 
     organizations to bring humanitarian aid into the country;
       Whereas the International Monetary Fund assesses that, in 
     Venezuela, inflation reached 275 percent and the gross 
     domestic product contracted 5.7 percent in 2015, and further 
     projects that inflation will reach 720 percent and the gross 
     domestic product will contract an additional 8 percent in 
     2016;
       Whereas Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian 
     crisis is fueling social tensions that are resulting in 
     growing incidents of public unrest, looting, and violence 
     among citizens;
       Whereas these social distortions are taking place amidst an 
     alarming climate of violence as Caracas continues to have the 
     highest per capita homicide rate in the world at 120 per 
     100,000 citizens, according to the United Nations Office on 
     Drug and Crime;
       Whereas the deterioration of governance in Venezuela has 
     been exacerbated by widespread public corruption and the 
     involvement of public officials in illicit narcotics 
     trafficking and related money laundering, which has led to 
     indictments by the United States Department of Justice and 
     ongoing investigations by the United States Department of the 
     Treasury and the United States Drug Enforcement 
     Administration;
       Whereas domestic and international human rights groups 
     recognize more than 85 political prisoners in Venezuela, 
     including United States citizens Francisco Marquez and Josh 
     Holt, opposition leader and former Chacao mayor Leopoldo 
     Lopez, Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, Caracas Mayor Antonio 
     Ledezma, former Zulia governor Manuel Rosales, and former San 
     Cristobal mayor Daniel Ceballos;
       Whereas, in December 2015, the people of Venezuela elected 
     the opposition coalition (Mesa de Unidad Democratica) to a 
     two-thirds majority in the unicameral National Assembly, with 
     112 out of the 167 seats compared with 55 seats for the 
     government's Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela party;
       Whereas, in late December 2015, the outgoing National 
     Assembly increased the number of seats in the Supreme Court 
     of Venezuela and confirmed magistrates with the Maduro 
     Administration and, thereafter, the expanded Supreme Court 
     has blocked four legislators, including 3 opposition 
     legislators, from taking office;
       Whereas the Supreme Court has repeatedly issued politically 
     motivated judgments to overturn legislation passed by the 
     democratically elected National Assembly and block internal 
     legislative procedures;
       Whereas, in 2016, President Maduro has utilized emergency 
     and legislative decree powers to bypass the National 
     Assembly, which, alongside the actions of the Supreme Court, 
     have severely undermined the principles of separation of 
     powers in Venezuela;
       Whereas democracy is failing in Venezuela, the Maduro 
     government controls the presidency, a majority of the 
     municipalities, the Supreme Court, the military leadership, 
     the state-owned oil company (PDVSA) leadership, and most of 
     the media;
       Whereas the former Presidents of Spain, Panama, and the 
     Dominican Republic have pursued dialogue between President 
     Maduro and the National Assembly;

[[Page 13733]]

       Whereas, in May 2016, Organization of American States 
     Secretary General Luis Almagro presented a 132-page report 
     outlining grave alterations of the democratic order in 
     Venezuela and invoked Article 20 of the Inter-American 
     Democratic Charter, which calls on the OAS Permanent Council 
     ``to undertake a collective assessment of the situation'';
       Whereas the countries of Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, 
     Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 
     Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, and Uruguay called on 
     the Venezuelan Government in June 2016 to ``guarantee the 
     exercise of the constitutional rights of the Venezuelan 
     people and that the remaining steps for the realization of 
     the Presidential Recall Referendum be pursued clearly, 
     concretely and without delay'';
       Whereas, in June 2016, at a joint press conference with 
     Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Enrique 
     Pena Nieto of Mexico, President Barack Obama stated, ``Given 
     the very serious situation in Venezuela and the worsening 
     plight of the Venezuelan people, together we're calling on 
     the government and opposition to engage in meaningful 
     dialogue and urge the Venezuelan government to respect the 
     rule of law and the authority of the National Assembly.''; 
     and
       Whereas, at the joint press conference with Prime Minister 
     Justin Trudeau and President Pena Nieto, President Barack 
     Obama continued, ``Political prisoners should be released. 
     The democratic process should be respected and that includes 
     legitimate efforts to pursue a recall referendum consistent 
     with Venezuelan law.'': Now, therefore, be it

  

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent to dispense with the reading.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________