I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1477 

To require a threat assessment and strategy to counter Russian influence 

in Venezuela, an assessment of foreign acquisition of CITGO assets 

in the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 

MUCARSEL-POWELL, and Ms. SHALALA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 

to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require a threat assessment and strategy to counter Russian influence in Venezuela, an assessment of foreign 

acquisition of CITGO assets in the United States, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Russian-Venezuelan 

5 Threat Mitigation Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The Russian Federation’s increased pres4 ence in the western hemisphere is of concern to the 

5 United States and our allies in the region. 

6 (2) In December 2018, the Russian Federation 

7 sent two Tu–160 nuclear-capable bombers to Ven8 ezuela for joint exercises with the Venezuelan mili9 tary. The Tu–160 can carry conventional or nuclear10 tipped cruise missiles with an estimated maximum 

11 range of around 3,000 miles. 

12 (3) Russian and Venezuelan forces took part in 

13 a joint 10-hour exercise across the Caribbean in De14 cember 2018 with the Tu–160 nuclear-capable 

15 bombers. 

16 (4) The Maduro regime has turned to the Rus17 sian Federation, one of its strongest political allies, 

18 for financial support during its current economic cri19 sis. 

20 (5) Nicolas Maduro secured loans from the 

21 Russian Federation to be repaid through future oil 

22 exports, but fell behind on those payments in 2017. 

23 News reports in December 2018 suggest that Rus24 sian State oil company Rosneft has lent Venezuelan 

25 state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) 

26 $6.5 billion partly as prepayment for crude oil, $3.1 


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1 billion of which remained outstanding as of the end 

2 of September 2018. 

3 (6) In 2016, PdVSA secured a $1.5 billion loan 

4 from Rosneft, and PdVSA used 49.9 percent of its 

5 shares in United States-based and Venezuelan6 owned company CITGO as collateral. A Venezuelan 

7 default could lead to potential Russian ownership of 

8 United States energy infrastructure. 

9 (7) At the conclusion of a 3-day visit to Moscow 

10 in December 2018, Maduro announced $6 billion 

11 worth of Russian investment pledges focused on the 

12 oil and mining sectors as well as the export of 

13 600,000 tons of Russian wheat to Venezuela to 

14 cover its 2019 needs. 

15 SEC. 3. THREAT ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY TO COUNTER 

16 RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN VENEZUELA. 

17 (a) THREAT ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 120 days 

18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

19 of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

20 committees an assessment on Russian-Venezuelan security 

21 cooperation and the potential threat such cooperation 

22 poses to the United States and countries in the Western 

23 Hemisphere. 

24 (b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 30 days after the 

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1 section (a), the Secretary of State shall submit to the ap2 propriate congressional committees a strategy to address 

3 Russian-Venezuelan cooperation. 

4 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro5 priate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on 

6 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

7 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 

8 SEC. 4. ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN ACQUISITION OF CITGO 

9 ASSETS IN THE UNITED STATES. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

12 transmit to the appropriate congressional committees an 

13 assessment of the security risks posed by potential Rus14 sian acquisition of CITGO’s United States energy infra15 structure holdings. 

16 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro17 priate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on 

18 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of 

19 the House of Representatives and the Committee on For20 eign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of 

21 the Senate. 

22 SEC. 5. ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PA23 ROLE. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Secretary of 

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1 ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason to 

2 believe, is an alien who is acting or has acted on behalf 

3 of the Russian Government in direct support of the Ven4 ezuelan security forces is— 

5 (1) inadmissible to the United States; 

6 (2) ineligible to receive a visa or other docu7 mentation to enter the United States; and 

8 (3) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or pa9 roled into the United States or to receive any other 

10 benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act 

11 (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 

12 (b) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The issuing consular officer, 

14 the Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Home15 land Security (or a designee of one of such Secre16 taries) shall, in accordance with section 221(i) of the 

17 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), 

18 revoke any visa or other entry documentation issued 

19 to an alien described in subsection (a) regardless of 

20 when the visa or other entry documentation is 

21 issued. 

22 (2) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A revocation 

23 under paragraph (1) shall— 

24 (A) take effect immediately; and 


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1 (B) automatically cancel any other valid 

2 visa or entry documentation that is in the 

3 alien’s possession. 

4 (c) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NATIONS

5 HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT OR FOR NATIONAL SECU6 RITY REASONS.— 

7 (1) INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—This sec8 tion shall not apply to an alien if admitting the alien 

9 into the United States is necessary to permit the 

10 United States to comply with— 

11 (A) the Agreement regarding the Head12 quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 

13 Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 

14 November 21, 1947, between the United Na15 tions and the United States; or 

16 (B) other applicable international obliga17 tions of the United States. 

18 (2) NATIONAL SECURITY.—The President may 

19 waive the application of this section to an alien if 

20 the President— 

21 (A) determines that such a waiver is in the 

22 national interest of the United States; and 

23 (B) transmits to the Committee on For24 eign Affairs of the House of Representatives 


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1 and the Committee on Foreign Relations a no2 tice of and justification for such waiver. 

3 (d) TERMINATION.—This section shall terminate on 

4 the earlier of— 

5 (1) the date that is three years after the date 

6 of the enactment of this Act; or 

7 (2) the date on which the President certifies to 

8 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

9 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Re10 lations of the Senate that the Government of Ven11 ezuela has returned to a democratic form of govern12 ment with respect for the essential elements of rep13 resentative democracy as set forth in Article 3 of the 

14 Inter-American Democratic Charter. 

15 (e) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘Ven16 ezuelan security forces’’ includes the following: 

17 (1) The Bolivarian National Armed Forces, in18 cluding the Bolivarian National Guard. 

19 (2) The Bolivarian National Intelligence Serv20 ice. 

21 (3) The Bolivarian National Police. 

22 (4) The Bureau for Scientific, Criminal and Fo23 rensic Investigations of the Ministry of Interior, Jus24 tice, and Peace. 

Æ 


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