[House Hearing, 116 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] Markup: H.R. 920, Venezuela Arms Restriction Act; H.R. 854, Humanitarian Assistance to the Venezuelan People Act of 2019; H.R. 1477, Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act, H.R. 1616, European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019 ======================================================================= HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION __________ March 14, 2019 __________ Serial No. 116-15 __________ Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http:// docs.house.gov, or http://www.govinfo.gov __________ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 35-603 PDF WASHINGTON : 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office, http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center, U.S. Government Publishing Office. Phone 202-512-1800, or 866-512-1800 (toll-free). E-mail, [email protected]. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York, Chairman BRAD SHERMAN, California MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Ranking GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York Member ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia STEVE CHABOT, Ohio THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida JOE WILSON, South Carolina KAREN BASS, California SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts TED S. YOHO, Florida DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois AMI BERA, California LEE ZELDIN, New York JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas JIM SENSENBRENNER, Wisconsin DINA TITUS, Nevada ANN WAGNER, Missouri ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York BRIAN MAST, Florida TED LIEU, California FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania BRIAN FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania DEAN PHILLPS, Minnesota JOHN CURTIS, Utah ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota KEN BUCK, Colorado COLIN ALLRED, Texas RON WRIGHT, Texas ANDY LEVIN, Michigan GUY RESCHENTHALER, Pennsylvania ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, Virginia TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania GREG PENCE, Indiana TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey STEVE WATKINS, Kansas DAVID TRONE, Maryland MIKE GUEST, Mississippi JIM COSTA, California JUAN VARGAS, California VICENTE GONZALEZ, Texas Jason Steinbaum, Staff Director Brendan Shields, Republican Staff Director C O N T E N T S ---------- Page BILLS AND AMENDMENTS OFFERED EN BLOC H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, with the Engel Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute H.R. 854, the Humanitarian Assistance to the Venezuelan People Act of 2019 with the Engel Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute and with the Levin Amendment H.R. 1477, the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act with the Engel Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute H.R. 1616, the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019 with the Keating Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute APPENDIX Hearing Notice................................................... 69 Hearing Minutes.................................................. 70 Hearing Attendance............................................... 71 STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD Markup Summary................................................... 72 Statement for the record from Representative Sires............... 73 Statement for the record from Representative McCaul.............. 74 Statement for the record from Representative Castro.............. 76 Statement for the record from Representative Wilson.............. 78 MARKUP OF: H.R. 920, VENEZUELA ARMS RESTRICTION ACT; H.R. 854, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE ACT OF 2019; H.R. 1477, RUSSIAN-VENEZUELAN THREAT MITIGATION ACT; AND H.R. 1616, EUROPEAN ENERGY SECURITY AND DIVERSIFICATION ACT OF 2019 THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019 House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:45 a.m., in Room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Eliot Engel (chairman of the committee) presiding. Chairman Engel. So if we could get started. I do not think this will last very long. I know that we are going to have a vote on the House floor sometime this morning. So I would ask if we could keep our statements brief and we can finish and then go to the floor for a vote, and I understand that there will be no votes in the afternoon. So I think that is a good thing for the schedule. So let me call the committee to order and pursuant to notice, we meet today to markup four bipartisan measures. Without objection, all members may have 5 days to submit statements or extraneous materials on today's business. As members were notified yesterday, we intend to consider today's measures en bloc. The measures are H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, with the Engel Amendment in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 854, the Humanitarian Assistance to the Venezuelan People Act of 2019 with the Engel Amendment in the nature of a substitute and with the Levin Amendment; H.R. 1477, the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act with the Engel Amendment in the nature of a substitute; and H.R. 1616, the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019 with the Keating Amendment in the nature of a substitute. [The Bills and Amendments offered en bloc follows:] [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Chairman Engel. At this time, I recognize myself to speak on today's business and I will be brief. Today, our committee has an important opportunity to support the Venezuelan people by advancing three bills at holding Nicolas Maduro accountable while responding to Venezuela's humanitarian needs. First, Congresswoman Shalala's Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, makes it crystal clear that no U.S. citizen or business will be able to profit from the repression of the Venezuelan people. This legislation codifies existing restrictions on arms exports to Venezuela and adds new restrictions on articles that are used for crime control, like tear gas and riot gear. Congress must do everything in its power to keep these dangerous items out of the hands of Nicolas Maduro and his cronies. We are also considering the Humanitarian Assistance to the Venezuelan People Act, which is authored by Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell. Venezuela was once the crown jewel of South America, the wealthiest country on the continent with vast natural resources and, sadly, that is no longer the case. Ninety percent of Venezuelans now live in poverty and the country's citizens are leaving the country at an alarming rate. The U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees estimates that by the end of this year, there will be more than 5 million Venezuelans living outside of the country. This mass exodus has had a major impact not only on Venezuelans themselves but also on the generous host countries including Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador, which have opened their hearts and homes to refugees and migrants. Ms. Mucarsel-Powell's legislation would address the humanitarian crisis head on by authorizing new funding and mandating a strategy from USAID and the State Department. And Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz's Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act would respond to the increasing security relationship between Venezuela and the Kremlin. This is another place where Vladimir Putin is trying to advance his aggressive agenda, and this bill would require an assessment from the Administration of what Russia is up to and what danger it poses. The other measure we are considering today is the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019. In addition to its military aggression, Russia has repeatedly used energy as a weapon to blackmail countries dependent on Russian energy sources. The European Union and many of our allies and partners in Europe recognize this threat and have begun to take steps to reduce their vulnerability to Russian pressure. This bill would ramp up American support for efforts to increase Europe's energy security and reduce dependence on Russia, including financial support for projects that better connect European energy networks and improve energy efficiency. These are all good measures that I am pleased to support. I thank our members for their hard work and I will now recognize our ranking member, Mr. McCaul of Texas, for any remarks he might have. Mr. McCaul. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know everyone in this committee is deeply disturbed by the deteriorating situation in Venezuela and the continued threats by Maduro and his regime against interim President Guaido. I am proud to stand with him in his struggle for a peaceful transition to democracy. That is why I strongly support the three Venezuela bills we are marking up today. I think in the interest of time, with votes imminent, I will place my full remarks on these three bills that I support into the record, without objection. And we will also markup the European Energy Security and Diversification Act sponsored by Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Keating. This bill will provide political, diplomatic, technical, financial support to energy projects in European and Eurasian countries to reduce their reliance on Russia. It will also reauthorize the Countering Russian Influence Fund to protect critical infrastructure and electoral mechanisms from Russian cyber attacks, combat corruption, and support countries under direct assault by Russia like Georgia and Ukraine. It is a strong statment of our willingness to do more to help Europe achieve its energy diversification and security goals, and I am fully supportive. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides to pass these bills through the House and to the president's desk. And with that, I yield back. Chairman Engel. Mr. McCaul yields back. Thank you, Mr. McCaul. Does anyone else seek recognition? Mr. Sires. Mr. Sires. Yes. I just want to thank Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, Congresswoman Shalala, and Congresswoman Mucarsel--Powell for introducing three important bills in support of the Venezuelan people and I would like to put the rest of my comments in for the record, if you do not have any objection. Chairman Engel. Thank you, Mr. Sires. Anyone else seeking recognition? Mr. Kinzinger. Mr. Kinzinger. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just quickly, I want to just talk about the bill that Mr. Keating and I introduced, the European Energy Security and Diversity Act. It is important for both our European and Eurasian partners and our industry. We know that Russia has long used energy as a weapon to coerce, manipulate, and create conflict in Europe and Eurasia and I do not believe any member in this room would deny the fact that the Russian Federation, led by Vladimir Putin, is a destabilizing factor in the world. This would help our partners defend themselves from the malign activities of Russia by developing and diversifying their own energy sources. Europe and Eurasia, for far too long, have relied on Russian gas and oil without looking at options to produce their own. By providing diplomatic and political support, American energy innovators could help diversify energy sources, enhance market integration across the region, and increase competition within the European energy market. Our partners have a long history of working with our defense industrial base, but this legislation now offers them an avenue to work with our great energy sector. Through this bill, we have an opportunity to support our allies, support our energy industry, and end Russia's use of energy as a weapon. I urge my colleagues to join me in support, and I yield back. Chairman Engel. Thank you. Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member, and I thank the ranking member of our subcommittee. This is truly a bicameral and bipartisan effort that began in the last Congress and I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member and, hopefully, ask the committee members to move this forward now at such an early stage. I want to thank Senator Murphy for his leadership on the Senate side. I want to thank Congressman Kinzinger for working with us here so early in the session on a very important effort. It is a great example in our subcommittee of an issue and a piece of legislation that hits, really, on all aspects of what our committee is trying to do this Congress. At a time when Putin is aggressively asserting Russian influence around the world, this bill is an important way to push back from a position of strength. The U.S. is now an exporter of energy. Through election interference, disinformation, or the issue at hand--energy--Russia consistently tries to undermine the sovereignty of our friends and allies, particularly those on the other side of the Atlantic. Ukraine is a good example of all these issues. Russia has repeatedly used its natural gas pipelines that transit Ukraine and Europe to exert pressure on Ukraine, even, at times, during the cold winter months. Nord Stream 2 has gained a lot of attention recently because of increased natural gas flows from Russia into Europe and how that could potentially leave Europe more isolated and, specifically, countries like Ukraine affected by this, making them even more vulnerable to Russian manipulation. We need to push back on these Russian efforts to undermine, to exert leverage, and, I would even agree, weaponize energy in their efforts. This is a proactive way to do this together with our European allies from a position of strength. This bill authorizes financing for private sector investments in energy security projects so that the U.S. can support the development of alternative sources of energy in Europe, including renewable energy. This bill promotes energy diversification and security in Europe by increasing their energy independence from Russian sources but also it strengthens U.S.-European cooperation and economic ties. This is one effort of what I hope will be more efforts to do this. We need to be working more closely with our European friends and allies if we are going to be successful in minimizing Putin's destabilizing efforts here in the U.S. and throughout the world. Russia and China are both making investments in Europe, whether it is in energy or port infrastructure or technology companies, and it is time that the U.S. steps up and makes these strategic investments not only with our European partners who share our values and close business ties with American companies but also with other countries around the world. This is not only good for our economy but it is good for our security. It is also good for our allies and global security as well. So I would like to thank the chairman for holding this hearing and this markup, and advancing this piece of legislation along with those very other important pieces of legislation dealing with the horrific humanitarian crisis unfolding in Venezuela. I urge my colleagues to support these measures and I yield back. Chairman Engel. The gentleman yields back. Any other members seeking recognition? Mr. Chabot. Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be very brief. I just want to thank my colleagues and voice my support for the three Venezuela measures here which, in essence, increases humanitarian assistance, the arms restrictions, as well as discouraging Russian influence in the area. Venezuela continues to be an absolute total and utter mess--phony elections, a president who is not legitimate, 3 million or so Venezuelans who have already fled the country with a couple of million probably ready to do the same thing; manmade extreme food and medical shortages, once-eradicated diseases reemerging from malaria to measles to diphtheria. It is absolutely a disgrace, and I applaud this committee and I applaud the Trump Administration in their strong stance in recognizing Guaido rather than Maduro, who is a complete fraud and ought to be removed from office as quickly as possible. So I want to thank the committee for working in a bipartisan manner, and yield back. Chairman Engel. The gentleman yields back. Thank you, Mr. Chabot. Mr. Levin. Mr. Levin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to express my appreciation for our bipartisan work on this incredibly important set of issues. And I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for accepting my amendment to H.R. 854 to ensure that humanitarian aid for the people of Venezuela is delivered in accordance with established international humanitarian principles. Everyone in this room understands the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis the Venezuela people are grappling with under Maduro. Venezuelans cannot afford food. Hospitals do not have basic drugs or supplies. Rates of maternal and child deaths and diseases that had been under control like malaria are spiking. And today marks a week since much of Venezuela, including Caracas, was plunged into a blackout. Without power, it has only gotten harder for the country's decimated health system to care for those in need. It is clear that we need to do all we can to address this crisis. But we have to do it right. This is a simple amendment to make sure that humanitarian assistance that is so needed in Venezuela is delivered in accordance with widely accepted principles. We need to be absolutely clear that any aid is there to ease the Venezuelan people's suffering, not to make them pawns in political ploys. Again, Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to you and your staff for working with me on this. Finally, H.R. 1477 would assess and mitigate threats posed by Russian-Venezuelan security cooperation. My reading of this bill is that it is not in any way an expression of congressional support for the use of military force and it would not provide any statutory authorization for an introduction of U.S. forces into hostilities. I would like to yield to the chairman to ask whether this is his understanding as well. Chairman Engel. Yes, it is my understanding. The gentleman is correct. H.R. 1477 is not an expression of support for the use of force as it in no way provides statutory authorization under the War Powers Resolution or any other provision of law. As Section 8(a) of the War Powers Resolution specifies, and I quote, ``Authority to introduce United States armed forces into hostilities or into situations where an involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances shall not be inferred from any provision of law unless such provisions specifically authorizes the introduction of United States armed forces.'' This legislation cannot properly be construed as providing any such authorization and I am not aware of any claims to the contrary. Mr. Levin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your support and your understanding of this bill, and with that clarification, I support the bill, and I yield back. Chairman Engel. The gentleman yields back. Are there any other requests for recognition? Then without objection, the committee will proceed to consider the noticed items en bloc. A reporting quorum is present. Without objection, the question occurs on the measures en bloc as amended. All those in favor, say aye. [Chorus of ayes.] Chairman Engel. All those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The measures considered en bloc are agreed to and without objection each measure in the en bloc is ordered favorably reported as amended and each amendment to each bill shall be reported as a single amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without objection, staff is authorized to make any technical and conforming changes and the chair is authorized to seek House consideration under suspension of the rules. This concludes our business today. I want to thank Ranking Member McCaul and all of the committee members for their contributions and assistance with today's markup. There is a bill now on the House floor being voted on. I think that is the only bill. The committee stands adjourned. [Whereupon, at 10:05 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] APPENDIX [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] [all]