[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA AS
THEY PROTEST PEACEFULLY FOR DEMOCRATIC
CHANGE AND CALLING TO END THE VIOLENCE
=======================================================================
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
H. Res. 488
__________
FEBRUARY 28, 2014
__________
Serial No. 113-124
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American
DANA ROHRABACHER, California Samoa
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio BRAD SHERMAN, California
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
TED POE, Texas GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
MATT SALMON, Arizona THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina KAREN BASS, California
ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
MO BROOKS, Alabama DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
TOM COTTON, Arkansas ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
PAUL COOK, California JUAN VARGAS, California
GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois
RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III,
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania Massachusetts
STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas AMI BERA, California
RON DeSANTIS, Florida ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California
TREY RADEL, Florida--resigned 1/27/ GRACE MENG, New York
14 deg. LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
DOUG COLLINS, Georgia TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TED S. YOHO, Florida
LUKE MESSER, Indiana
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
------
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
MATT SALMON, Arizona, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina Samoa
RON DeSANTIS, Florida THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TREY RADEL, Florida--resigned 1/27/ ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
14 deg.
C O N T E N T S
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Page
MARKUP OF
H. Res. 488, Supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest
peacefully for democratic change and calling to end the
violence....................................................... 2
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 488 offered
by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen......................... 7
Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.
Res. 488 offered by the Honorable Matt Salmon, a
Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and
chairman, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere............. 12
LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 20
Markup minutes................................................... 21
Markup summary................................................... 22
The Honorable Alan Grayson, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Florida: Prepared statement........................... 23
SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA AS
THEY PROTEST PEACEFULLY FOR
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE AND CALLING
TO END THE VIOLENCE
----------
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:06 a.m., in
room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Matt Salmon
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Salmon. The subcommittee will come to order. Pursuant
to notice for purposes of markup, I call up H. Res. 488, a
resolution supporting the people of Venezuela as they protest
peacefully for democratic change and calling to end the
violence. Without objection, the measure is consider read and
open for amendment at any point.
Before recognizing myself and other members for statements,
I am going to call up Ros-Lehtinen 39, the bipartisan amendment
in the nature of a substitute, and ask unanimous consent that
it be considered en bloc with the brief Salmon amendment that
the members have before them.
Without objection, the amendment en bloc is considered read
and open for amendment at any point.
[The information referred to follows:]
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Mr. Salmon. All members may have 5 days to insert remarks
on this measure into the record should they choose to do so. I
now recognize myself to speak briefly on this bill and
amendment.
Our neighbor to the south, Venezuela, suffers from one of
the worst murder rates in the world, crushing inflation rates
of over 56 percent, regular electrical blackouts and shortages
in everyday items such as milk, flour, and even toilet paper.
All of this is in the face of a country who enjoys one of the
world's largest deposits of oil reserves. Clearly the Venezuela
people deserve far better.
For several weeks now many of us have watched in horror as
protesters in Venezuela have taken to the streets to peacefully
express their frustrations and a desire for change. They have
been brutally attacked by elements of their government and
government-aligned thugs on motorcycles. This has led to the
tragic death of at least 14 individuals, over 100 people
injured, and many more who have been unjustly detained for
exercising their universal right to voice their aspirations for
democracy, freedom, basic human rights, and adherence to the
rule of law.
We bring up this bipartisan resolution today in that
spirit, and we call upon the State Department, the Organization
of American States and other parties in the hemisphere to join
us in pushing for an end to this useless violence, to fully
support the rule of law, and to promote a more transparent
democratic process in Venezuela.
Although the world's attention has been focused more
vividly on the crisis in Ukraine, the stakes in Venezuela are
no less important. This is about freedom. It is a nation
squarely in our very neighborhood, and, until its most recent
history, had a long and proud tradition of adhering to
democratic norms, and was even an ally of the United States.
Continued instability there adversely affects Venezuela and the
entire region and could well lead to violence and instability
well beyond their boundaries.
I want to thank the committee's chairman emeritus, Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, for her undying support for freedom and democracy
anywhere on the planet, especially in our hemisphere, and for
pushing for the passage of this timely and important
resolution.
I also want to thank the full committee Ranking Member
Engel and subcommittee Ranking Member Albio Sires for working
with us to craft a solid, bipartisan attempt to put our words
and our voices behind those Venezuelans who aspire to make
Venezuela a better country for their fellow citizens.
And I now recognize the ranking member.
Mr. Sires. Mr. Chairman, I thank you for holding this
markup to consider this important resolution calling for an end
to violence and supporting the people of Venezuela's right to
express their frustration toward the deteriorating economic,
public safety, and political conditions in the country. Rather
than allow the space and freedom for peaceful demonstration,
President Maduro has instead utilized oppressive Cuban tactics
in silencing the media, detaining antigovernment demonstrators,
and arresting opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.
Like his predecessor, Mr. Maduro has also attempted to
deflect unwarranted blame against the United States by
expelling U.S. Embassy personnel. And now, instead of
peacefully mediating the differences with the thousands of
antigovernment demonstrators that have grown tired of rising
crime, inflation, shortages of basic goods, and limit the
freedoms of expression, Mr. Maduro has proposed an oddly timed
diplomatic exchange with our country.
Mr. Maduro and the Government of Venezuela need to address
the grievances of its people through meaningful dialogue that
respects the space and expression of contrasting points of
view.
I am particularly disturbed and saddened by the unfortunate
loss of life that has resulted from the demonstrations, and
echo the international community's condemnation of the
Venezuelan Government's unnecessary and inappropriate use of
force against the demonstrators. However, it is unfortunate
that some nations exalting democratic virtues within the
hemisphere can turn a blind eye to these physical and human
rights abuses.
I am a proud cosponsor of House Resolution 488, supporting
the people of Venezuela in these difficult and uncertain times.
I join my colleagues in the international community in
imploring the Government of Venezuela to respect the freedom of
expression and assembly, and peaceful engagement of opposition.
I thank my good friend Chairman Salmon and Chairman
Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership and steadfast
efforts in advancing this resolution, which I urge my
colleagues to support. Thank you.
Mr. Salmon. Thank you.
The Chair now entertains any others seeking recognition.
The former chairman of the full committee, Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen.
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Well, thank you so much, Mr. Chairman,
thank you, Ranking Member, for marking up this timely and
important bipartisan resolution in support of the people of
Venezuela in their pursuit of freedom and democracy. The
situation in Venezuela as we have seen has rapidly
deteriorated, so I thank you both as well as the colleagues on
the committee who recognize the importance of supporting
democracy in Venezuela. I also would like to thank the full
committee chairman, Mr. Royce, and the ranking member, Mr.
Engel, for their efforts, which have been instrumental in
ensuring that this bipartisan measure enjoys the amount of
support that it currently does.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the hard-working and
dedicated staff members that have helped pave the way for this
resolution: Tom Sheehy, Edward Burrier, Jason Steinbaum, Mark
Walker, Leah Campos, Ramon Zertuche, Eric Jacobstein, and so
many others. Thank you, thank you.
H. Res. 488 is not about Venezuela; it is also about who we
are as a Nation. We often take for granted the freedoms that we
enjoy as Americans, but when we witness events like those
happening in Venezuela, where Maduro silences dissent by
unleashing his state thugs on innocent civilians who march for
freedom and democracy, killing and injuring those who have had
the temerity to call for reforms, we are reminded of just how
great America is.
And so when we see students of Venezuela take to the
streets, and take to social media, begging and pleading to the
world to speak up and take notice, we have a moral obligation
to stand up and support them. And that is what this resolution
does. It tells the hundreds of thousands, even millions of
Venezuelans who yearn for freedom and for liberty, the United
States hears you. The United States knows what you are going
through, and we will support you and support your fundamental
human rights, because that is what America does everywhere. We
speak up for those who are being silenced and oppressed.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to
support the American ideals of freedom, justice, rule of law,
protection of human rights, and I thank our colleagues in the
Senate, Senators Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio, and Dick Durbin.
They have a measure that mirrors ours, so this shows that this
is a bipartisan, bicameral measure.
I am also writing a letter to President Obama and asking
for cosigners, requesting that he hold Venezuelan officials
accountable for their human rights abuses. I am asking
President Obama, pursuant to applicable U.S. law, to deny visas
to enter the U.S. to Venezuelan officials who commit human
rights violations, block their property, freeze their assets in
the U.S., prohibit them from conducting U.S. financial
transactions with U.S. businesses and institutions. And, in
addition, I plan on introducing a bill next week that will
codify these measures into law, and I urge my colleagues to
support both of these efforts.
And for this resolution, Mr. Chairman, that is before us,
we have worked with our Department of State in drafting this
resolution.
Thank you very much for the time.
Mr. Salmon. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida. Are there
any other members seeking recognition?
Mr. Meeks.
Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I come here deeply concerned about what is taking place in
Venezuela. And for me, I thought it was important to be here
because of my relationship with Venezuela in the past. Many
probably know that I am one of the few Members of Congress that
had a relationship with the former Hugo Chavez and happen to
know the current President Nicolas Maduro. But what I see
taking place on the streets of Venezuela is not the
expressions--or not allowing expressions of freedom and
discontent to take place, and violence and death deeply
concerns me.
I was in Latin America last week, and I talked to a number
of heads of states from various countries, and they are deeply
concerned, some, believe it or not, who are allies and had been
working with Venezuela. But even they are concerned at what is
taking place in Venezuela now.
I think that I had a moral obligation to be here today to
speak up against what is taking place, because when I think in
my own lifetime when African-Americans stood up in the streets
to protest what they thought was--something that was not
democratic, we wanted someone to stand and say, take our side,
help us, stand up and say what is right.
So when I see that there are individuals--and I know that
there are people in Venezuela on both sides of the issues, but
everybody should have the right to express themselves. Everyone
should have the right to try to make sure that they, too, have
a voice. And when I see violence being utilized to stop the
individuals from expressing themselves--and I know Venezuelans,
because I have been to elections, and I have seen them line up,
both the opposition and Chavistas, in huge long lines to vote.
That is what should happen. And people should be able to go in
the streets and express their discontent. Government should not
come down and stop those or silence those voices, and people
should not have to die.
So we have an obligation, I do believe, when we see people
dying in the streets simply because they want to express
themselves, they want to express and put pressure on their
government. That is what democracies are all about, putting
pressure on your government. We have disagreements here, but we
don't go in the streets. We don't allow the government--we
don't want our government to utilize violence to silence those
voices. So I felt compelled.
Generally I don't come and sign up with many of these
resolutions. I looked at the resolution and I said, basically
it is a fair resolution. You can tell it is a resolution that
was worked on in a bipartisan manner. And I just felt it was
important to call on voices to be heard on all sides of this,
especially my voice.
You know, Dr. King said one time, it is those voices that
were silent that would not speak out against injustice which
concerns us most. This is clearly an injustice that is taking
place now. And, again, in the words of Dr. King, ``Injustice
anywhere is a threat of justice everywhere.''
So I join this resolution in a bipartisan manner, and I
thank the chairman and the former chairwoman on your work. I
was told by the ranking member how you made sure that we were
inclusive. You worked with the State Department. You made sure
that there was language in there from both sides and tried to
do it in a balanced way. So I come today to join this
resolution, and say, please, stop the violence. Let the voices
be heard. Let democracy ring. Let there be justice.
And I yield back.
Mr. Salmon. I thank the gentleman for his impassionate
speech.
In many ways, as I look at what is happening in Ukraine and
Venezuela, this is 1776. That is what is happening in their
country, and it is totally about freedom. And if we can't stand
for that, then what do we stand for?
The Chair recognizes the gentleman Jeff Duncan.
Mr. Duncan. I thank the chairman and the former chairwoman
for lending their voice to this, and I strongly support the
resolution. I am proud to be an original cosponsor.
You know, multiple protests have occurred in Venezuela with
thousands of people gathering to staunchly reject the status
quo in Venezuela. In response to peaceful protests by students,
President Maduro has used lethal force that has resulted in the
deaths of more than a dozen Venezuelans. Many more have been
wounded, and even more jailed by the regime.
But I am going to tell you what, Mr. Chairman. I am
inspired by a former retired military officer in Venezuela,
General Angel Vivas, who stands in defiance at his own home, in
defiance of his arrest by President Maduro. And he says here, I
have the right to self-defense. He has become a folk hero for
standing in defiance of the government.
Economic conditions continue to worsen. There have been
rumors that Cuban troops have been assisting the Venezuelan
Government in managing the protest. I am concerned the U.S.
Government is not doing enough to stand in solidarity with the
Venezuelan people who seek freedom and opportunity, and I
second the comment you just made, Mr. Chairman, that this is
Venezuela's 1776 moment. You and I had the conversation that in
the Ukraine and in Venezuela, folks are seeking self-
governments. They are resisting oppression and seeking liberty.
The U.S. has a strategic national security interest in
Venezuela. It is in our hemisphere, but Venezuela is a mere 3-
hour flight from U.S. soil, a major transit route for cocaine,
heroin destined for the U.S. It possesses deep ties to FARC,
Cuba, Russia, and Iran, and has allowed these actors influence
in ways that are harmful to U.S. interests.
Secondly, Venezuela has large proven reserves of oil
estimated in 2013 at 297 billion barrels. The economy in
Venezuela should be more robust than it is. There is a Wall
Street Journal front-page article today that shows lines of
Venezuelans in line for basic commodities at the supermarket.
They have g1 weeks, if not months, without toilet paper. The
bread lines are very evident. But this article talks about
President Maduro calling for Carnival season to begin early,
folks to go to the beaches and start partying. Is this not
President Maduro's let-them-eat-cake moment? When the folks in
Venezuela are suffering, he has the opportunity, and the power,
and the economy and the tools in the economy to do things
differently.
I think the United States has not only a vested interest, I
think we have an obligation, as the beacon of liberty in the
free world, to support the Venezuelans. I think that is what
this resolution does. I think it is a great first step in
urging the Department of State to take credible actions to
respond to the erosion of freedom in Venezuela.
I think we can do more. I have an amendment that I am not
going to offer today, but hopefully we can consider sanctions
on Venezuela going forward. I think that is important, that is
a tool that we can use.
And so I want to end my comments with thanking you for your
leadership on this issue. I want to thank retired General Vivas
for his stance, inspiring Venezuelans, inspiring me, as a
beacon of someone that understands private property rights and
understands what the word ``liberty'' really means.
So I look forward to swift passage of this, and I yield
back.
Mr. Salmon. Boy, if the public out there doesn't understand
in a bipartisan way that this group stands for freedom, they
never will understand anything.
Does the Representative from Florida seek recognition?
Mr. DeSantis. Briefly, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to thank you, thank the ranking member for
working on this, and thanks to my friend from Florida for all
of her work. She is constantly supporting the freedom of people
around the world, but particularly in our hemisphere.
Look, the people of Venezuela are speaking out against a
dysfunction and repression that is being brought about by the
nation's Havana-directed Socialist leaders. America should
stand with the people in Venezuela. America should stand for
individual liberty. And I am happy to support this resolution
so that Congress can demonstrate on behalf of the American
people our solidarity with the people of Venezuela, who are
being oppressed by a corrupt regime.
So thank you for working on this. Thank you for doing this.
I do agree it is a good first step. This is a critical moment
for them, and we have to be on the side of those who are
aspiring to self-government and individual liberty. And I yield
back.
Mr. Salmon. I thank the gentleman. Are there any amendments
to the en bloc amendment?
Okay. Hearing no further amendments, the question is on
agreeing to the en bloc amendment.
All those in favor, say aye.
Opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the en
bloc agreement is agreed to.
The question now occurs on adopting the H. Res. 488, as
amended.
All those in favor, say aye.
Opposed, say nay.
Again, in the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and
the amended resolution is agreed to.
Without objection, H. Res. 488, as amended, is reported
favorably to the full Committee on Foreign Affairs, and staff
are directed to make any technical and conforming changes.
That concludes our business, and, without objection, the
subcommittee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 10:26 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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Material Submitted for the RecordNotice deg.
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Prepared Statement of the Honorable Alan Grayson, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Florida
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