IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1403 

Recognizing Edmundo Gonza ́lez of Venezuela as the winner of the Venezuelan 

Election which took place on July 28th, 2024 and condemning the 

Maduro regime. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 2, 2024 

Mr. GIMENEZ (for himself, Mr. MOONEY, and Mr. OWENS) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Edmundo Gonza ́lez of Venezuela as the winner 

of the Venezuelan Election which took place on July 

28th, 2024 and condemning the Maduro regime. 

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 obtaining power in 2013, Nicola ́s Maduro and 

his illegitimate regime have committed countless criminal, 


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•HRES 1403 IH 

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(3) establishing the Special Action Force of the National Police (FAES) in 2017, which has since been replaced by the Directorate of Strategic and Tactical Actions, and utilizing them to execute illegal raids, unlawful 

arrests, and extrajudicial killings; 

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, Nicola ́s Maduro unlawfully 

usurped 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, 

Nicola ́s Maduro has exacerbated ongoing economic and 

humanitarian crises, and forced more than 7,700,000 

people to flee Venezuela; 

Whereas Nicola ́s 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— 


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•HRES 1403 IH 

(1) allowing the Republic of Cuba to restructure the 

Venezuelan military, train Armed Forces in Venezuela, 

and train Venezuelan intelligence agents in Communist 

Cuba, 

(2) stating that Venezuela is ‘‘grateful to Cuba’s 

revolutionary Armed Forces’’ and ‘‘salute them and will 

always welcome them’’; 

(3) awarding a $490,000,000 contract to the stateowned National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution 

Company to revamp the Paraguana Refining Center, the 

largest refining complex in Venezuela; and 

(4) 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 Nicola ́s 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 reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:24 Aug 03, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1403.IH HR1403

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•HRES 1403 IH 

spect 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, 


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•HRES 1403 IH 

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 Marı ́a 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) endorsed Edmundo Gonza ́lez 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 


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•HRES 1403 IH 

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; 

Whereas the illegitimate Maduro regime has exhibited a clear 

pattern of corruption, ruling by force, and undermining 

stability and democracy in Venezuela; 

Whereas in the hours following the presidential election, the 

National Electoral Council in Venezuela halted the 

Transmission of vote count data and prevented opposition 

poll watchers from viewing the voting data; and 

Whereas, on July 28, 2024, the people of Venezuela held 

their presidential election, which exit polls showed the 

overwhelming favorite and victor to be Edmundo 

Gonza ́lez: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 1403 IH 

1 (1) congratulates the citizens of Venezuela for 

2 using their voice and vote to stand up to Nicola ́s 

3 Maduro’s dictatorship; 

4 (2) denounces the attempt by the illegitimate 

5 Maduro regime to intimidate and repress the Ven6 ezuelan people, including Edmundo Gonza ́lez 

7 Urrutia, Marı ́a Corina Machado, and other opposi8 tion leaders, through any kind of violence; 

9 (3) applauds Secretary Anthony Blinken and 

10 Assistant Secretary Brian Nichols for their work 

11 with international partners to recognize Edmundo 

12 Gonza ́lez as the rightful winner of the Venezuelan 

13 election on July 28, 2024; 

14 (4) encourages the Biden Administration im15 pose additional sanctions on Maduro and his co16 conspirators in their illegitimate attempt to commit 

17 electoral fraud and make a mockery of the presi18 dential election; and 

19 (5) recognizes Edmundo Gonza ́lez as the winner 

20 of the Venezuelan Presidential election on July 28, 

21 2024. 

Æ 


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