New House Measure Would Urge Sanctions on Venezuelan Regime
Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., co-chairs of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, introduced a resolution last week calling for new U.S. sanctions to pressure Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro to stop trying to “steal” the country’s recent presidential election.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
The resolution, which recognizes opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the election winner, recommends sanctioning the Maduro regime as well as “individuals and entities involved in subverting democracy and repressing the opposition, including foreign governments and non-state entities assisting the regime’s election subversion and repression.”
The measure also encourages the U.S. government and "all democratic nations to reject Maduro’s fraudulent claim of victory and employ all available diplomatic and economic means to pressure the Maduro regime to honor the true election results."
The resolution has 28 co-sponsors, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas. It was referred to McCaul’s committee.
Another co-sponsor, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and two other House members introduced their own resolution calling on the Biden administration to "impose additional sanctions on Maduro and his co-conspirators in their illegitimate attempt to commit electoral fraud and make a mockery of the presidential election."
Separately, five lawmakers, including McCaul and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., issued a joint statement urging the U.S. government “to be prepared to use all appropriate tools, including targeted sanctions, as leverage to press the Maduro regime to respect the will of the Venezuelan people.”
Senior administration officials have said they are considering “consequences,” including sanctions, in response to the recent election (see 2407290044).