Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding and for his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee. His expertise, having been elected to Congress in November, is welcomed.

It is really wonderful to be able to join him on the floor of the House of Representatives to make sure that we continue to voice our support for democracy to be restored in Venezuela and mitigate the threat that Maduro's regime poses to all of us in the Western Hemisphere.

I also extend my thanks to Mr. Engel, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mr. McCaul, the ranking member, both of whom have really come together with the bills that were adopted earlier, and with this one, to make sure that it is demonstrated very clearly that there is no daylight in the United States when it comes to the issue of making sure that we can restore democracy to Venezuela.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Venezuela are suffering right now under the rule of a brutal despot, Nicolas Maduro. The widespread starvation, economic devastation, and public health crisis he has inflicted on his own people has been absolutely heartbreaking to witness. I saw this tragedy up close when my colleague, Representative Donna Shalala, and I traveled to the Colombian-Venezuelan border earlier this month.

The stories we heard and what we saw was gut-wrenching: easily avoidable medical tragedies; blockaded humanitarian aid; and because of a lack of access to vaccines, the rampant spread of disease cured long ago. We witnessed these tragic realities firsthand.

I also hear these horrific experiences from my own friends and neighbors when I return to my hometown of Weston, affectionately known in south Florida and around the world, quite frankly, as Westonzuela.

It is no surprise that this cruel regime has very few friends. Not surprisingly, one of them is the Kremlin. That is why the Russia- Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act is so urgently needed. This bill would require the State Department to provide a crucial threat assessment of Russia's influence in Venezuela.

Just this weekend, we saw media reports that more Russian military officials continue to arrive in Venezuela. According to the latest reports, planes brought in Russian cargo, advisers, and officials to train the same Venezuelan military apparatus that is keeping Maduro in power. This is just the latest attempt in a long-running push by Vladimir Putin to prop up this brutal autocrat.

In December, the Russian Federation sent two Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela for joint exercises. The Tu-160 can carry conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with an estimated maximum range of around 3,000 miles. That same month, Russian and Venezuelan forces took part in a joint 10-hour exercise across the Caribbean with these Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers.

This menacing Kremlin influence creates not only a hurdle to restoring a functioning, legitimate democracy to the people of Venezuela, but it also poses an imminent military threat to the entire Western Hemisphere. We not only need a detailed assessment of what kind of threat this poses but a strategy for dealing with it. Under this bill, the State Department would be required to deliver both essential diplomatic tools to Congress.

Our goal, regardless of party, is to allow for the peaceful transition to Venezuela's rightful leader, interim President Juan Guaido, and for the peaceful execution of free and fair elections. That will not happen soon enough, so long as Putin troops are helping prop up Maduro's bloody regime.

Another invaluable crutch the Kremlin has handed Maduro is pipelined through the embattled nation's oil supply. As his people suffer and protest all around him, Maduro survives inside an oil-soaked cocoon that the Russian Federation provides to his regime.

Maduro secures these lifeline loans by promising to repay the Russians with future oil exports. But amid Venezuela's economic crisis, Maduro, not surprisingly, fell behind on those payments, reports indicate, beginning in 2017. News reports suggest that the Russian state oil company Rosneft lent the Venezuelan state oil company billions of dollars, partly as a prepayment for its crude oil.

Those oily tentacles are another reason why the Russia-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act is so vital. This bill would also require the President to give Congress an assessment of the security risks posed by any potential Russian acquisition of the U.S. energy infrastructure holdings of CITGO, which is owned by Venezuela. By monitoring the CITGO acquisition risks, we monitor one of Maduro's vital veins of sustenance.

Finally, what this bill would also do is allow the United States to use the diplomatic tools of travel to discourage further Russian- Venezuelan military entanglements. It would block travel to the United States by anyone who is acting or has acted on behalf of the Russian Government in direct support of the Venezuelan security forces.

Mr. Speaker, except in rare circumstances, this bill would allow for a ban and immediate revocation of visas from anyone working on behalf of the Russian Government to directly bolster the Venezuelan security forces.

Right now, the people of Venezuela are enduring an unimaginable onslaught of hunger, preventable medical dangers, and dire escalating economic pain. We cannot stand idly by while Putin assists Maduro in carrying out this inhumane and barbaric tragedy.

The Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act will make it harder for the Kremlin to outfit Maduro with weapons of oppression. This bill will also allow the United States to monitor and minimize the threat that Russia poses to the entire region.

Restoring democracy to Venezuela will not happen overnight. No single action alone could bring it about. But combined with the strong humanitarian aid and military export bills my colleagues have crafted that have passed on the floor tonight, the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act will provide part of the comprehensive solution this all-encompassing tragedy needs.

The Venezuelan people, including my friends and neighbors back home, desperately need this relief.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard real stories of neighbors and friends standing in front of me, describing the Maduro regime's confiscation of their businesses, just coming in one day and taking over everything. They have wrought devastation across that land. Venezuela was once a vibrant, rich, successful democracy that he has driven into the ground for his own enrichment.

We can help bring this to an end through bills like the Russian- Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support of this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (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, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1477, the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1477.

I thank Ms. Wasserman Schultz for authoring this bipartisan bill, and I am proud to bring it to the floor. I appreciate the Congresswoman's tireless leadership on Venezuela day in and day out, particularly at such a difficult moment for that country.

Ms. Wasserman Schultz has the largest Venezuelan American constituency in the country and works nonstop on behalf of her constituents in supporting the Venezuelan people.

Russia's unwavering commitment to Nicolas Maduro should not come as a surprise to any of us. This is part of Putin's larger aspirations for global reach and influence and Putin knows the importance of having a loyal Russian ally in South America.

In recent years, Russia has increased its support for the Venezuelan security forces. Just a few months ago, Russia sent two nuclear capable bombers to Venezuela for a training exercise.

Just yesterday, two Russian military aircraft landed near Caracas reportedly carrying 100 Russian troops.

This legislation responds to the increasing security relationship between the Maduro regime and the Kremlin. Specifically, it requires the State Department to provide a threat assessment of Russian influence in Venezuela and its impact on the United States and our allies in the region and a strategy for the United States to counter this threat. It also requires the President to monitor the risk of any foreign acquisition of CITGO assets in the United States.

Finally, it puts into place visa bans on individuals working on behalf of the Russian Government in direct support of the Venezuelan security forces. In short, this legislation takes a crucial step in restricting Maduro's access to financial, political, and military support from Vladimir Putin.

Congress must pass this legislation to continue to squeeze Nicolas Maduro and his repressive regime.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, March 14, 2019.

Hon. Jerrold Nadler,

Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R.

1477, Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act.

I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this

legislation. I recognize that the bill contains provisions

that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the

Judiciary. I acknowledge that the Committee will not seek a

referral of or formally consider H.R. 1477 and agree that the

inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not

waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters

contained in H.R. 1477 which fall within your Committee's

Rule X jurisdiction.

I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in

the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the

bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this

legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you

as this measure moves through the legislative process.

Sincerely,

Eliot L. Engel,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the author of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, I would once again like to thank Ms. Wasserman Schultz for authoring this important legislation and for her leadership on behalf of the Venezuelan people.

As we all know, Vladimir Putin is seeking to expand Russia's nefarious influence in many parts of the world, always against democracy, always in opposition to the idea that ordinary people have the right to stand up for human rights and against corruption, including in Venezuela.

This is the struggle of our time. This legislation makes it clear that we stand united with our allies in Latin America and across the world in rejecting the Kremlin's support for the corrupt Maduro regime.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act introduced by our colleagues from Florida, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Diaz-Balart. I also want to thank Congressman Malinowski for his leadership in bringing this to the floor right now.

I am also deeply concerned about Russia's continued support for the Socialist and criminal dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro and the threat that this relationship poses to the national security of the United States and the rest of the countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Russia has invested over $16 billion in Venezuela and has provided billions in military equipment to that murderous regime.

In December of last year Russia sent two nuclear-capable bombers to conduct joint exercises with the Venezuelan military. In January of this year, he sent mercenaries to help protect Maduro--this is Mr. Putin doing that. Just this last weekend, as Congressman Malinowski referred to, we saw a report of about 100 additional Russian troops landing in Venezuela.

Russia continues to finance the regime through billions of dollars in investments and is directly aiding the Maduro regime's efforts to bypass U.S. sanctions. There is also a great concern over the potential acquisition of a U.S.-based oil company, CITGO, which has refineries in Corpus Christi and Lake Charles by the Russian oil company, Rosneft, which has a collateral position of about half of its equity.

The bill requires that the State Department provide Congress with an assessment of the threat that the Russia-Venezuela relationship poses to U.S. national security and a strategy to combat that threat.

The bill also requires the specific assessment of the threat posed by a potential acquisition of the oil infrastructure I referred to, CITGO, by their debtor, Russian state oil company Rosneft.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge all of our colleagues to join us in standing against Russia's continued support for the Maduro regime and the threat it poses to U.S. national security.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would once again like to thank my colleagues for the three bipartisan bills on Venezuela that have been considered by this House today.

This is one issue where all Members of Congress, regardless of party or background, should stand together with the people of Venezuela and support interim President Guaido's efforts to bring free and fair elections to the country.

The criminal socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has driven Venezuela to ruin. He is clinging to power by repressing the people of Venezuela while surrounding himself with foreign forces from Cuba and Russia.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled the dangerous and deteriorating circumstances at home, as Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz mentioned about Weston. We also know about other places in west Miami where the Venezuelans, fortunately, are adding value to our economy now.

They have created burdens and instability far beyond Venezuela's border. The average Venezuelan has lost 20 kilos in the last 2 years. These people are starving to death under a repression that hasn't been seen since Ceausescu's Romania or Stalin's Russia.

Congress should support the administration's efforts to bring democracy and prosperity back to Venezuela, and these bills demonstrate our support for the values of freedom and liberty that the Venezuelan people desire and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 1477, and I yield back the balance of my time.