IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1477 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MARCH 26, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
To require a threat assessment and strategy to counter Rus-
sian influence in Venezuela, an assessment of foreign 
acquisition of CITGO assets in the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Russian-Venezuelan 
Threat Mitigation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Russian Federation’s increased pres-
ence in the Western Hemisphere is of concern to the 
United States and our allies in the region. 
(2) In December 2018, the Russian Federation 
sent two Tu–160 nuclear-capable bombers to Ven-
ezuela for joint exercises with the Venezuelan mili-
tary. The Tu–160 can carry conventional or nuclear- 
tipped cruise missiles with an estimated maximum 
range of around 3,000 miles. 
(3) Russian and Venezuelan forces took part in 
a joint 10-hour exercise across the Caribbean in De-
cember 2018 with the Tu–160 nuclear-capable 
bombers. 
(4) Nicolas Maduro and his regime have turned 
to the Russian Federation, one of its strongest polit-
ical allies, for financial support during its current 
economic crisis and to counter international support 
for Juan Guaido. 
(5) In January 2018, Russia sent contractors 
linked to the Wagner Group to provide security for 
Nicolas Maduro. 
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(6) Nicolas Maduro secured loans from the 
Russian Federation to be repaid through future oil 
exports, but fell behind on those payments in 2017. 
News reports in December 2018 suggest that Rus-
sian State oil company Rosneft has lent Venezuelan 
state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) 
$6.5 billion partly as prepayment for crude oil, $3.1 
billion of which remained outstanding as of the end 
of September 2018. 
(7) In 2016, PdVSA secured a $1.5 billion loan 
from Rosneft, and PdVSA used 49.9 percent of its 
shares in United States-based and Venezuelan- 
owned company CITGO as collateral. A Venezuelan 
default could lead to potential Russian ownership of 
United States energy infrastructure. 
(8) At the conclusion of a 3-day visit to Moscow 
in December 2018, Maduro announced $6 billion 
worth of Russian investment pledges focused on the 
oil and mining sectors as well as the export of 
600,000 tons of Russian wheat to Venezuela to 
cover its 2019 needs. 
SEC. 3. THREAT ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY TO COUNTER 
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN VENEZUELA. 
(a) THREAT ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
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of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees an assessment on Russian-Venezuelan security 
cooperation and the potential threat such cooperation 
poses to the United States and countries in the Western 
Hemisphere. 
(b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 30 days after the 
submission of the threat assessment required under sub-
section (a), the Secretary of State shall submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a strategy to counter 
threats identified in such assessment from Russian-Ven-
ezuelan cooperation. 
(c) FORM.—The threat assessment required under 
subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form but 
may include a classified annex. 
(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 4. ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN ACQUISITION OF CITGO 
ASSETS IN THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
transmit to the appropriate congressional committees an 
assessment of the national security risks posed by poten-
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tial Russian acquisition of CITGO’s United States energy 
infrastructure holdings. 
(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and 
the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on 
Banking of the Senate and the Committee on Financial 
Services of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Banking of the Senate. 
SEC. 5. ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PA-
ROLE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Secretary of 
State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des-
ignee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has reason to 
believe, is an alien who is acting or has acted on behalf 
of the Russian Government in direct support of the Ven-
ezuelan security forces is— 
(1) inadmissible to the United States; 
(2) ineligible to receive a visa or other docu-
mentation to enter the United States; and 
(3) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or pa-
roled into the United States or to receive any other 
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benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.). 
(b) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The issuing consular officer, 
the Secretary of State, or the Secretary of Home-
land Security (or a designee of one of such Secre-
taries) shall, in accordance with section 221(i) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1201(i)), 
revoke any visa or other entry documentation issued 
to an alien described in subsection (a) regardless of 
when the visa or other entry documentation is 
issued. 
(2) EFFECT
OF
REVOCATION.—A revocation 
under paragraph (1) shall— 
(A) take effect immediately; and 
(B) automatically cancel any other valid 
visa or entry documentation that is in the 
alien’s possession. 
(c) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NATIONS 
HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT OR FOR NATIONAL SECU-
RITY REASONS.— 
(1) INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—This sec-
tion shall not apply to an alien if admitting the alien 
into the United States is necessary to permit the 
United States to comply with— 
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(A) the Agreement regarding the Head-
quarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake 
Success June 26, 1947, and entered into force 
November 21, 1947, between the United Na-
tions and the United States; or 
(B) other applicable international obliga-
tions of the United States. 
(2) NATIONAL SECURITY.—The President may 
waive the application of this section to an alien if 
the President— 
(A) determines that such a waiver is in the 
national interest of the United States; and 
(B) transmits to the Committee on For-
eign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations a no-
tice of and justification for such waiver. 
(d) TERMINATION.—This section shall terminate on 
the earlier of— 
(1) the date that is one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act; or 
(2) the date on which the President certifies to 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations of the Senate that the Government of Ven-
ezuela has returned to a democratic form of govern-
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ment with respect for the essential elements of rep-
resentative democracy as set forth in Article 3 of the 
Inter-American Democratic Charter. 
(e) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘Ven-
ezuelan security forces’’ includes the following: 
(1) The Bolivarian National Armed Forces, in-
cluding the Bolivarian National Guard. 
(2) The Bolivarian National Intelligence Serv-
ice. 
(3) The Bolivarian National Police. 
(4) The Bureau for Scientific, Criminal and Fo-
rensic Investigations of the Ministry of Interior, Jus-
tice, and Peace. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 25, 
2019. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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