I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 854 

To provide humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people, including 

Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the Americas and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2019 

Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL (for herself, Ms. SHALALA, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, 

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. SOTO, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, and 

Ms. FRANKEL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people, 

including Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the Americas 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 ‘‘Humanitarian Assist5 ance to the Venezuelan People Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Venezuela is in the grips of unprecedented 

9 political and economic turmoil marked by hyperVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854

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1 inflation, soaring crime rates, and an authoritarian 

2 President. 

3 (2) President Nicola ́s Maduro and his prede4 cessor have, through authoritarianism, graft, and in5 competence, precipitated a massive humanitarian 

6 crisis both inside Venezuela and throughout the 

7 Western Hemisphere. 

8 (3) The Venezuelan gross domestic product is 

9 expected to contract for the sixth year in a row in 

10 2019, with the Government defaulting on its exter11 nal debt and inflation projected to exceed 1 million 

12 percent this year. 

13 (4) Health outcomes in Venezuela have ap14 proached critical levels as food, medicine, and serv15 ices become increasingly inaccessible, with 11.4 per16 cent of children in Venezuela under 5 years old suf17 fering from moderate or acute malnutrition. 

18 (5) Nearly 10 percent of Venezuela’s population 

19 of 31 million have fled overseas, with nearly 90 per20 cent of those remaining living in poverty. 

21 (6) Venezuelans have lost an average of 19 

22 pounds of weight due to nationwide food shortages 

23 since the beginning of the country’s economic crisis. 


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1 (7) Venezuela is suffering from an 88 percent 

2 medicine shortage, with more than 22,000 doctors 

3 leaving Venezuela in the past 4 years. 

4 (8) The Maduro Government has repeatedly re5 jected offers of humanitarian assistance, despite the 

6 return of once-vanquished diseases like diphtheria 

7 and measles, rampant cases of malaria, and the 

8 sharp rise in infant and maternal mortality. 

9 (9) Venezuela’s rates of homicide and other 

10 crimes have risen dramatically over the course of the 

11 crisis, with chronic underreporting contributing to 

12 an insufficient understanding of the scope of the cri13 sis. 

14 SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY TO PROVIDE HU15 MANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE 

16 OF VENEZUELA. 

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

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

19 in coordination with the Administrator of the United 

20 States Agency for International Development, shall submit 

21 to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee 

22 on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 

23 Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 

24 Appropriations of the Senate a long-term strategy to pro25 vide humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela 


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1 both in Venezuela and throughout the Western Hemi2 sphere through credible and independent nongovernmental 

3 organizations operating in Venezuela or in neighboring 

4 countries to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan peo5 ple. 

6 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re7 quired under subsection (a) shall include the following: 

8 (1) A description of how and to what extent the 

9 following assistance will be provided: 

10 (A) Public health commodities for Ven11 ezuelan health facilities and services, including 

12 medicines on the World Health Organization’s 

13 List of Essential Medicines and basic medical 

14 supplies and equipment. 

15 (B) Basic food commodities and nutritional 

16 supplements needed to address growing mal17 nutrition and improve food security for the peo18 ple of Venezuela, with a specific emphasis on 

19 the most vulnerable populations. 

20 (C) Technical assistance to ensure health 

21 and food commodities are appropriately se22 lected, procured, and distributed, predominantly 

23 through local nongovernmental organizations. 

24 (2) An identification of United States Agency 

25 for International Development best practices in deVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854

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1 livering humanitarian assistance, particularly with 

2 regard to food assistance and how such best prac3 tices are being utilized in providing humanitarian as4 sistance to Venezuela. 

5 (3) A description of obstacles put in place by 

6 the Maduro Government to prohibit the entry of hu7 manitarian assistance into the country. 

8 (4) A description of efforts to enhance support 

9 for countries in the Western Hemisphere in sup10 porting the humanitarian needs of Venezuelan mi11 grants. 

12 (5) A description of efforts to ensure that hu13 manitarian assistance for Venezuelans is coordinated 

14 with other United States bilateral assistance in the 

15 Western Hemisphere and does not result in elimi16 nating other bilateral assistance. 

17 (6) A description of how humanitarian assist18 ance is being monitored and evaluated and what ad19 ditional staff are managing the assistance. 

20 SEC. 4. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON UNITED 

21 STATES EFFORTS TO PROVIDE HUMANI22 TARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF 

23 VENEZUELA. 

24 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 


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1 States shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

2 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

3 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 

4 and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a re5 port assessing the impact of United States humanitarian 

6 assistance to the people of Venezuela both in Venezuela 

7 and throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

8 SEC. 5. SUPPORT FOR EFFORTS AT THE UNITED NATIONS 

9 ON THE HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL CRI10 SIS IN VENEZUELA. 

11 (a) INITIAL EFFORTS.—The President shall instruct 

12 the Permanent Representative of the United States to the 

13 United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the 

14 United States to secure the necessary votes to— 

15 (1) place the humanitarian and political crisis 

16 in Venezuela on the agenda at the United Nations; 

17 and 

18 (2) secure a Presidential Statement from the 

19 United Nations urging the Government of Venezuela 

20 to allow the delivery of humanitarian relief. 

21 (b) ADDITIONAL EFFORTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 30 

23 days after the conclusion of efforts by the United 

24 States Permanent Representative to the United Na25 tions under subsection (a), the President shall inVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:32 Feb 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H854.IH H854

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1 struct the Permanent Representative to use the 

2 voice, vote, and influence of the United States to se3 cure the adoption of a United Nations resolution de4 scribed in paragraph (2). 

5 (2) RESOLUTION DESCRIBED.—The United Na6 tions resolution referred to in paragraph (1) is a res7 olution encouraging— 

8 (A) the Government of Venezuela to 

9 promptly allow safe and unhindered access for 

10 humanitarian agencies and their implementing 

11 partners, including possible support from neigh12 boring countries; and 

13 (B) the Government of Venezuela to allow 

14 the delivery of food and medicine. 

15 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMAN16 ITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF 

17 VENEZUELA. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to 

19 provide humanitarian assistance to support the people of 

20 Venezuela both in Venezuela and throughout the Western 

21 Hemisphere. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated to the President 


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1 $150,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 

2 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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