House Democrats Push for Action on Venezuela Sanctions Bills

Eight House Democrats urged Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Sept. 5 to immediately bring up bipartisan Venezuela legislation on the House floor when Congress returns from its August recess next week.

Among the measures the lawmakers want considered is the Venezuela Advancing Liberty, Opportunity and Rights Act (VALOR Act), which would create “democratic benchmarks” to guide the removal of sanctions on Venezuela (see 2408220050), and the Venezuelans Overcoming Interference and Corruption in Elections (VOICE) Act, which would sanction Venezuelan officials involved in banning opposition presidential candidates.

Their legislative wish-list also includes the Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development (VERDAD) Reauthorization Act, which would reauthorize sanctions on people involved in undermining democracy and human rights in Venezuela, and a resolution calling for new U.S. sanctions to pressure Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro to stop trying to “steal” the country’s July 28 presidential election (see 2408050024).

Despite “clear evidence” that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won the election, Maduro has refused to concede that he lost, and he has used mass arrests and violence to crack down on those demanding a peaceful transfer of power, the lawmakers said in a letter to Johnson. "The Venezuelan people need our support," the lawmakers wrote. "In this crucial moment, Congress must set aside partisan politics and uphold its moral obligation to counter autocracy and support freedom and justice for all."

The letter was led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, and co-signed by seven other Florida Democrats: Reps. Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Lois Frankel, Maxwell Frost, Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto and Frederica Wilson. The letter notes that the lawmakers represent “a large proportion of the Venezuelan diaspora community in Florida.”

Johnson’s office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter came three days after the U.S. seized a business jet used by Maduro (see 2409030014). The airplane, which was confiscated in the Dominican Republic, allegedly was illegally purchased by people linked to Maduro's regime.