Venezuela Humanitarian Relief, Reconstruction, and Rule of Law Act of 2018
A BILL
To provide humanitarian relief to the Venezuelan people and Venezuelan migrants, to advance a constitutional and democratic solution to Venezuela’s political crisis, to address Venezuela’s economic reconstruction, to combat public corruption, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
Venezuela’s electoral event on May 20, 2018—
was not legitimate; and
did not comply with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent democratic process; and
senior officials in the de facto government of Nicolás Maduro—
have taken continuous steps—
to consolidate an authoritarian government; and
to direct political control over Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice, National Electoral Council, and armed forces;
have implemented policies that are directly responsible for—
Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian crises; and
the massive outflow of Venezuelan migrants leaving the country;
have used access to food as a tool of political coercion and a source of corruption and have directly profited from corruption in food procurement contracts;
have utilized repressive tactics to violate and curtail human rights, political rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press, including the arbitrary detention of political prisoners; and
have engaged in acts of gross corruption and criminality that have contributed to the absence of the rule of law in Venezuela.