•HRES 1006 IH 
Whereas Nicola´s Maduro has consistently refused to acknowl-
edge Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and has rejected 
humanitarian aid from the United States and the inter-
national community; 
Whereas the government of Nicola´s Maduro and the United 
Socialist Party of Venezuela have used food and humani-
tarian aid as a weapon for social control and have stolen 
funds from Local Food Production and Provision Com-
mittees, the Venezuelan distribution food aid program, 
according to a joint statement issued by Colombia, Mex-
ico, Panama, and the United States on July 12, 2018; 
Whereas Venezuela’s inflation rate has reached nearly 14,000 
percent and is predicted to continue increasing, according 
to reports issued by the opposition-led National Assem-
bly; 
Whereas it is estimated that the Venezuelan Government 
owes about— 
(1) $64,000,000,000 to bondholders; 
(2) a total of $20,000,000,000 to China and Russia; 
(3) $5,000,000,000 to multilateral lenders; and 
(4) according to press reports, tens of billions to im-
porters and service companies in the oil industry; 
Whereas the capital city of Caracas has a per-capita homicide 
rate of 104 per 100,000 citizens, among the highest in 
the world, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of 
Violence; 
Whereas, on June 20, 2018, the Pan-American Health Orga-
nization issued a report finding increases in new cases of 
malaria, measles, diphtheria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis 
in Venezuela; 
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Whereas, on June 22, 2018, the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Human Rights issued a report stating that 
‘‘human rights violations committed during demonstra-
tions form part of a wider pattern of repression against 
political dissidents and anyone perceived as posing a 
threat’’ to the government of Nicola´s Maduro and re-
ferred the report to the International Criminal Court; 
Whereas according to the Venezuelan human rights group 
Foro Penal, there are at least 254 political prisoners 
being held in Venezuela as of July 2018; 
Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees, the deterioration of conditions in Venezuela 
has led to the emigration of at least 2,000,000 Ven-
ezuelans to neighboring countries, including Brazil, Chile, 
Caribbean island countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, 
and Peru; 
Whereas the United States has provided at least $56,000,000 
since fiscal year 2017 to countries in the Western Hemi-
sphere, in response to the Venezuelan humanitarian cri-
sis; 
Whereas the United States has imposed sanctions on— 
(1) 59 Venezuelan officials, for human rights viola-
tions and corruption; and 
(2) 22 individuals with connections to Venezuela and 
27 Venezuelan entities, for drug trafficking; 
Whereas Canada has sanctioned at least 70 Venezuelan offi-
cials for corruption or human rights abuses; 
Whereas the European Union has sanctioned at least 18 Ven-
ezuelan officials for human rights violations and under-
mining democracy, including Vice President Delcy 
Rodrı´guez; 
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Whereas Switzerland has placed economic sanctions on at 
least 7 senior Venezuelan officials and multiple Ven-
ezuelan entities, for violations of individual freedoms and 
for severely undermining the separation of powers; 
Whereas Panama has increased its financial oversight of at 
least 55 Venezuelans and 16 Venezuelan entities that the 
United States considered to be a high risk for money 
laundering; 
Whereas Colombia, Panama, Mexico, and the United States 
have expanded cooperation to fight illegal financial net-
works that support the repressive government of Nicola´s 
Maduro; 
Whereas the United States, the Lima Group, the G–7, and 
European Union declared the national elections that oc-
curred in Venezuela on May 20, 2018, were illegitimate; 
Whereas the Permanent Council of the Organization of 
American States (OAS) passed Resolution 1078 (2108/ 
17) on April 3, 2017, expressing ‘‘grave concern regard-
ing the unconstitutional alteration of the democratic 
order’’; 
Whereas Executive Order 13835 (83 Fed. Reg. 24001), 
signed on May 21, 2018, tightened existing sanctions 
that prohibit United States purchases of Venezuelan 
debt; 
Whereas the government of Nicola´s Maduro expelled two sen-
ior United States diplomats from Caracas on May 22, 
2018, and the United States responded reciprocally on 
May 23, 2018; 
Whereas, on May 29, 2018, a panel of international experts 
designated by the Secretary General of the OAS found 
that ‘‘there are reasonable grounds that satisfy the 
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standard of proof required by Article 53 of the Rome 
Statute’’ that the Venezuelan people were subjected to 
‘‘crimes against humanity’’, and that as a result the situ-
ation in Venezuela should be referred to the International 
Criminal Court; and 
Whereas, on June 5, 2018, the General Assembly of the OAS 
passed a resolution on Venezuela, with the support of 19 
countries, reaffirming the ‘‘obligation of the governments 
[of the Americas] to promote and defend [democracy]’’ 
and declaring that the national elections that occurred on 
May 20, 2018, were illegitimate ‘‘for not complying with 
international standards, for not having met the participa-
tion of all Venezuelan political actors, and for being car-
ried out without the necessary guarantees for a free, fair, 
transparent and democratic process’’: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the deteriorating situation in 
Venezuela and the regional humanitarian crisis it 
has caused, affirms support for the legitimate Na-
tional Assembly and the Supreme Court, and urges 
further regional action in support of democracy in 
Venezuela; 
(2) applauds the efforts of the Lima Group and 
the countries that voted in favor of the Resolution 
on the Situation in Venezuela passed by the OAS 
General Assembly on June 5, 2018, and calls on 
countries that abstained from the vote or voted 
against the resolution to join the international com-
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munity and the region in support of democracy in 
Venezuela; 
(3) supports the findings of the OAS panel of 
experts, as presented on May 29, 2018, that there 
are reasonable grounds to believe that the govern-
ment of Nicola´s Maduro has committed crimes 
against humanity and urges countries in the region 
to take actions to support an investigation under 
international law into crimes against humanity com-
mitted by that government; 
(4) expresses concern over the continued hu-
manitarian crisis in Venezuela; 
(5) urges countries in the region to coordinate 
a regional humanitarian response and to work with 
European, Asian, and African countries to coordi-
nate the imposition of sanctions and visa bans for 
Venezuelan officials responsible for the ongoing cri-
sis; and 
(6) calls on the President to increase United 
States support to the Venezuelan people by pro-
viding further humanitarian assistance in the region, 
imposing additional targeted sanctions on Ven-
ezuelan 
officials, 
including 
under 
the 
Global 
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 
U.S.C. 2656 note), increasing public diplomacy ef-
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forts to expose the levels of corruption among Ven-
ezuelan officials, and supporting democratic actors 
in Venezuela. 
Æ 
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