IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 259 

Expressing concern and condemnation over the political, economic, social, 

and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 6, 2017 

Mr. DESANTIS (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. CURBELO

of Florida, Mr. YOHO, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. SIRES, 

and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing concern and condemnation over the political, 

economic, social, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. 

Whereas there is no separation of powers or independent institutions in Venezuela and President Maduro controls 

the Presidency, a majority of the municipalities, the Supreme Court, the military leadership, and the leadership 

of Petro ́leos de Venezuela (PDVSA); 

Whereas Venezuela’s National Electoral Council postponed 

elections for governors and mayors scheduled for December 2016 and has not set a date to reschedule elections; 

Whereas there have been several attempts at dialogue between President Maduro and the opposition over the past 

year, which have all failed to achieve results; 


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•HRES 259 IH 

Whereas a political solution is the way to provide sustainable 

change for the Venezuelan people, but the dialogues up 

until now have helped provide Maduro a lifeline while his 

government is collapsing; 

Whereas the Venezuelan government continues to silence its 

citizens through political arrests, with more than 100 political prisoners currently in jail, including opposition 

leader Leopoldo Lo ́pez; 

Whereas Joshua Holt, a United States citizen, remains imprisoned in Venezuela awaiting a trial, with five postponed hearings to date; 

Whereas police and military raids have led to widespread allegations of abuse, including extrajudicial killings, mass arbitrary detentions, torture in prisons, forced evictions, 

and arbitrary deportations; 

Whereas Venezuela is immersed in a deep economic crisis, 

with the highest inflation in the world and current inflation estimated to top roughly 1,600 percent in 2017, according to the International Monetary Fund; 

Whereas in July 2016, President Maduro handed over control 

of the food supply system to the military, which has enabled corruption, fraud, and food trafficking by the military contributing to food shortages, a scarcity of basic 

goods, and political discrimination in the distribution of 

food and basic goods; 

Whereas deteriorating conditions in health care persist, with 

the World Health Organization estimating that there are 

shortages for 75 percent of necessary medications and 

medical supplies, up from 55 percent in 2014 and 67 percent in 2015; 


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•HRES 259 IH 

Whereas the country is facing increasing outbreaks of malaria and diphtheria, previously eradicated diseases in 

Venezuela; 

Whereas the country has experienced an increase in emigration, according to multiple press reports, including the 

Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington 

Post; 

Whereas Venezuela is the leading country for asylum requests 

to the United States in the world, according to data reported by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; 

Whereas the Government of Venezuela has expanded its powers to regulate media and reduce the number of dissenting media outlets, including CNN en Espan ̃ol after 

CNN broadcasted a report alleging that Vice President 

Tareck El Aissami was directly linked to passport fraud 

involving members of Hezbollah; 

Whereas, on February 13, 2017, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control 

designated Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the 

Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for playing a 

significant role in international narcotics trafficking and 

imposed sanctions on Mr. El Aissami and froze his assets 

in the United States; 

Whereas, on March 14, 2017, the Secretary General of the 

Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, 

issued a second report on the crisis in Venezuela following his May 2016 report, documenting an altercation 

of the Inter-American Democratic Charter by the Government of Venezuela and calling for free, fair, and open 


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•HRES 259 IH 

elections and the release of political prisoners without 

delay; 

Whereas, on March 23, 2017, fourteen OAS Member States 

published a joint statement calling for the Government of 

Venezuela to hold elections, restore the constitutional 

powers of the National Assembly, and release political 

prisoners; 

Whereas, on March 28, 2017, the OAS Permanent Council 

agreed by a vote of 20 in favor, 11 against, 2 abstentions, and 1 absent/nonvoting Member States to move 

forward in discussing the situation in Venezuela; 

Whereas, on March 28, 2017, the Supreme Court of Venezuela stripped opposition leaders of the National Assembly of their parliamentary immunity and began to take 

steps to consider prosecuting them for treason; 

Whereas, on March 29, 2017, the Venezuelan Supreme Court 

seized power from the democratically elected National Assembly and nullified the legislative branch’s ability to 

function; 

Whereas, on March 31, 2017, in the first major break of a 

sitting Venezuelan public official, Venezuelan Attorney 

General Luisa Ortega Diaz affirmed the Supreme Court’s 

actions ‘‘had broken constitutional order’’; 

Whereas, on March 31, 2017, Venezuelan citizens took to the 

streets protesting the Supreme Court’s breach of power; 

Whereas, on April 1, 2017, during an emergency meeting of 

the Mercosur countries, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay released a statement urging the Government of Venezuela to follow its 

constitution and guarantee ‘‘the effective separation of 

powers’’; and 


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•HRES 259 IH 

Whereas, on April 1, 2017, the Supreme Court reversed its 

earlier decisions taking over the National Assembly’s legislative powers and stripping the legislators of their parliamentary immunity: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the decisions by the Venezuelan 

3 Supreme Court on March 28, 2017, and March 29, 

4 2017, stripping the opposition legislators of their 

5 parliamentary immunity and seizing power from the 

6 National Assembly, nullifying all legislative actions; 

7 (2) recognizes the decision by the Venezuelan 

8 Supreme Court on April 1, 2017, to restore the op9 position legislators’ parliamentary immunity and the 

10 National Assembly’s legislative powers; 

11 (3) urges the Government of Venezuela to heed 

12 the calls of the international community to hold free, 

13 fair, and open elections, release all political pris14 oners, including U.S. citizens, and immediately ac15 cept international humanitarian assistance only 

16 through nongovernmental organizations; 

17 (4) urges OAS Member States to continue all 

18 efforts, including the consideration of a potential 

19 suspension of Venezuela from the OAS, if the Gov20 ernment of Venezuela fails to hold free, fair, and 

21 open elections and release all political prisoners in a 

22 timely manner; and 


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•HRES 259 IH 

1 (5) encourages the President of the United 

2 States to prioritize a resolution of the political, eco3 nomic, social, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, 

4 including through bilateral, targeted sanctions 

5 against individuals in the Government of Venezuela 

6 responsible for the deterioration of democratic insti7 tutions and the rule of law in the country. 

Æ 


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