{ "id": "R43239", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R43239", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 586855, "date": "2017-01-23", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T14:55:02.694608", "title": "Venezuela: Issues for Congress, 2013-2016", "summary": "Although historically the United States had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in 2013 after battling cancer. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro narrowly defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with others.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in National Assembly elections, a major defeat for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the legislature\u2019s power by preventing three MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature.\nFor much of 2016, opposition efforts were focused on recalling President Maduro through a national referendum, but the government slowed down the referendum process and suspended it indefinitely in October. After an appeal by Pope Francis, the government and most of the opposition (with the exception of Leopoldo L\u00f3pez\u2019s Popular Will party) agreed to talks mediated by the Vatican along with the former presidents of the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Panama and the head of the Union of South American Nations. The two sides issued a declaration in November expressing firm commitment to a peaceful, respectful, and constructive coexistence. They also issued a statement that included an agreement to improve the supply of food and medicine and to resolve the situation of the three National Assembly representatives. Some opposition activists strongly criticized the dialogue as a way for the government to avoid taking any real actions, such as releasing all political prisoners. The next round of talks was scheduled for December but was suspended until January 2017, and many observers are skeptical that the dialogue will resume. \nThe rapid decline in the price of oil since 2014 hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -10% in 2016), high inflation (projected 720% at the end of 2016), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The situation has increased poverty, with severe shortages of food and medicines and high crime rates.\nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the government\u2019s lack of cooperation on antidrug and counterterrorism efforts. After a 2014 government-opposition dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions and asset-blocking sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. \nThe Obama Administration continued to speak out about the democratic setback and poor human rights situation, called repeatedly for the release of political prisoners, expressed deep concern about the humanitarian situation, and strongly supported dialogue. The Administration also supported the efforts Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro to focus attention on Venezuela\u2019s democratic setback. \nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses (with a termination date of December 2016 for the requirement to impose sanctions). In July 2016, Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 114-194) extending the termination date of the requirement to impose sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-278 through 2019. \nIn September 2016, the House approved H.Res. 851 (Wasserman Schulz), which expressed profound concern about the humanitarian situation, urged the release of political prisoners, and called for the Venezuelan government to hold the recall referendum this year. In the Senate, a similar but not identical resolution, S.Res. 537 (Cardin), was reported, amended, by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2016.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016, and the Administration requested $5.5 million for FY2017. The House version of the FY2017 foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 5912, H.Rept. 114-693) would have provided $8 million, whereas the Senate version (S. 3117, S.Rept. 114-290) would have fully funded the request. The 114th Congress did not complete action on FY2017 appropriations, although it approved a continuing resolution in December 2016 (P.L. 114-254) appropriating foreign aid funding through April 28, 2017, at the FY2016 level, minus an across-the board reduction of almost 0.2%. \nNote: This report provides background on political and economic developments in Venezuela, U.S. policy, and U.S. legislative action and initiatives from 2013 to 2016 covering the 113th and 114th Congresses. It will not be updated. For additional information, see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "e287dc0640e8f329eafa67e580a1554a056600bb", "filename": "files/20170123_R43239_e287dc0640e8f329eafa67e580a1554a056600bb.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43239_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170123_R43239_images_a7d22a482a72d6be769ef2cd192183d892486a74.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43239_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170123_R43239_images_ad8ea2c5cb96673858d33e821945ea87417264f9.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43239_files&id=/2.png": "files/20170123_R43239_images_9d671a513a97975ae67f7d5a9439d8044b1f7672.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "e964e6e3cb0a87c5a189095ba194729db038835a", "filename": "files/20170123_R43239_e964e6e3cb0a87c5a189095ba194729db038835a.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 457141, "date": "2016-11-21", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T21:04:51.727308", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Although historically the United States had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in 2013 after battling cancer. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro narrowly defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with others.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in National Assembly elections, a major defeat for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the legislature\u2019s power by preventing three MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature.\nFor much of 2016, opposition efforts were focused on recalling President Maduro through a national referendum, but the government slowed down the referendum process and suspended it indefinitely on October 20. In late October 2016, after an appeal by Pope Francis, the government and most of the opposition (with the exception of Leopoldo L\u00f3pez\u2019s Popular Will party) agreed to talks mediated by the Vatican along with the former presidents of the Dominican Republic, Spain, and Panama and the head of the Union of South American Nations. The two sides issued a declaration on November 12 expressing firm commitment to a peaceful, respectful, and constructive coexistence. They also issued a statement that included an agreement to improve the supply of food and medicine and to resolve the situation of the three National Assembly representatives. Some opposition activists have strongly criticized the dialogue as a way for the government to avoid taking any real actions, such as releasing all political prisoners. The next round of talks is scheduled for December 6.\nThe rapid decline in the price of oil since 2014 has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -10% in 2016), high inflation (projected 720% at the end of 2016), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The situation has increased poverty, with severe shortages of food and medicines and high crime rates.\nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the government\u2019s lack of cooperation on antidrug and counterterrorism efforts. After a 2014 government-opposition dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions and asset-blocking sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. \nThe Obama Administration has continued to speak out about the democratic setback and poor human rights situation, called repeatedly for the release of political prisoners, expressed deep concern about the humanitarian situation, and strongly supported dialogue. The Administration supported the efforts Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro to focus attention on Venezuela\u2019s democratic setback. \nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses (with a termination date of December 2016 for the requirement to impose sanctions). In July 2016, Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 114-194) extending the termination date of the requirement to impose sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-278 through 2019. \nOn September 27, 2016, the House approved H.Res. 851 (Wasserman Schulz), which expressed profound concern about the humanitarian situation, urged the release of political prisoners, and called for the Venezuelan government to hold the recall referendum this year. In the Senate, a similar but not identical resolution, S.Res. 537 (Cardin), was introduced in July 2016.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016, and the Administration requested $5.5 million for FY2017. The House version of the FY2017 foreign operations appropriations bill (H.Rept. 114-693 to H.R. 5912) would provide $8 million, whereas the Senate version (S.Rept. 114-290 to S. 3117) would fully fund the request. \nAlso see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "c963561b4501466494501f85b5441c7ef9f2c241", "filename": "files/20161121_R43239_c963561b4501466494501f85b5441c7ef9f2c241.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "0951e1b294f2d826fb5b7412de40c256f3610815", "filename": "files/20161121_R43239_0951e1b294f2d826fb5b7412de40c256f3610815.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 456422, "date": "2016-10-13", "retrieved": "2016-10-17T19:15:11.158709", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Although historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in March 2013 after battling cancer. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in April 2013 in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro narrowly defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with two opposition mayors.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in National Assembly elections, a major defeat for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the legislature\u2019s power by preventing three MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature.\nOpposition efforts are now focused on recalling President Maduro through a national referendum, but many observers fear that the government is stalling to delay such a vote until after January 10, 2017. A recall on or prior to that date would yield a new presidential election. A recall after that date would result in President Maduro\u2019s appointed vice president assuming the presidency for the remainder of Maduro\u2019s term, through 2018. The opposition needs to gather the signatures of at least 20% of registered voters (over 3.9 million) from October 26, 2016, to October 28, 2016. Such a vote would then need to be approved by more than the number of votes that Maduro received when elected\u2014almost 7.6 million.\nOrganization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the situation in Venezuela in May 2016. The OAS Permanent Council met on June 23 to receive the Secretary General\u2019s report but did not take further action.\nSince 2014, the rapid decline in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -10% in 2016), high inflation (projected 720% at the end of 2016), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The situation has increased poverty, with severe shortages of food and medicines and high crime rates.\nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the government\u2019s lack of cooperation on antidrug and counterterrorism efforts. After a 2014 government-opposition dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions and asset-blocking sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. \nThe Obama Administration has continued to speak out about the democratic setback and poor human rights situation and has called repeatedly for the release of political prisoners. It has supported the OAS Secretary General\u2019s efforts and joined with 14 other OAS members in calling for dialogue and Venezuela\u2019s adherence to constitutional mechanisms.\nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in December 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses (with a termination date of December 2016 for the requirement to impose sanctions). In July 2016, Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 114-194) extending the termination date of the requirement to impose sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-278 through 2019. \nOn September 27, 2016, the House approved H.Res. 851 (Wasserman Schulz), which expressed profound concern about the humanitarian situation, urged the release of political prisoners, and called for the Venezuelan government to hold the recall referendum this year. In the Senate, a similar although not identical resolution, S.Res. 537, was introduced in July 2016.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016, and the Administration requested $5.5 million for FY2017. The House version of the FY2017 foreign operations appropriations bill (H.Rept. 114-693 to H.R. 5912) would provide $8 million, whereas the Senate version (S.Rept. 114-290 to S. 3117) would fully fund the request. \nAlso see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "bda89ee0de804a483113c156946215c2a7df351c", "filename": "files/20161013_R43239_bda89ee0de804a483113c156946215c2a7df351c.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "8390819206f86fc22acc1d6f0678305f61d29e90", "filename": "files/20161013_R43239_8390819206f86fc22acc1d6f0678305f61d29e90.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455223, "date": "2016-08-22", "retrieved": "2016-09-09T18:38:13.869497", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Although historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in March 2013 after battling cancer. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in April 2013 in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro narrowly defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with two opposition mayors.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in National Assembly elections, a major defeat for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the legislature\u2019s power by preventing four MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature.\nOpposition efforts are now focused on attempts to recall President Maduro through a national referendum, but many observers fear that the government is stalling to delay such a vote until after January 10, 2017. A recall on or prior to that date would yield a new presidential election. A recall after that date would result in President Maduro\u2019s appointed vice president assuming the presidency for the remainder of Maduro\u2019s term, through 2018. Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the situation in Venezuela in May 2016, and the OAS Permanent Council met on June 23 to receive the Secretary General\u2019s report but did not take further action.\nSince mid-2014, the rapid decline in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -8.0% in 2016), high inflation (projected 720% at the end of 2016), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The situation has increased poverty, with shortages of food and medicines and high crime rates.\nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the government\u2019s lack of cooperation on anti-drug and counterterrorism efforts. \nThe Obama Administration strongly criticized the Venezuelan government\u2019s repression of protests in 2014. After a government-opposition dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions and asset-blocking sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. The Obama Administration has continued to speak out about the democratic setback and poor human rights situation and has called repeatedly for the release of political prisoners. It has supported the OAS Secretary General\u2019s efforts and joined with 14 other OAS members in calling for dialogue and Venezuela\u2019s adherence to constitutional mechanisms.\nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in December 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses (with a termination date of December 2016 for the requirement to impose sanctions). The 114th Congress enacted legislation in July 2016 (P.L. 114-194; S. 2845) extending the termination date of the requirement to impose targeted sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-278 through 2019. In April 2016, the Senate approved an FY2016 State Department authorization measure, S. 1635 (Corker), with a provision that would require a report on political freedom in Venezuela.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016, and the Administration requested $5.5 million for FY2017. The House version of the FY2017 foreign operations appropriations bill (H.Rept. 114-693 to H.R. 5912) would provide $8 million, whereas the Senate version (S.Rept. 114-290 to S. 3117) would fully fund the request. \nCongress is likely to continue to monitor the situation in Venezuela for the remainder of 2016. S.Res. 537 (Cardin), introduced in July, would express profound concern about the ongoing crisis, urge the release of political prisoners, and call for respect of constitutional and democratic practices. \nAlso see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "7c22eb5a8596264d16d65afa5a8ff6ca168c5618", "filename": "files/20160822_R43239_7c22eb5a8596264d16d65afa5a8ff6ca168c5618.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "472959eb167b862809843fcb4237aa8c1e6c8f53", "filename": "files/20160822_R43239_472959eb167b862809843fcb4237aa8c1e6c8f53.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 453608, "date": "2016-06-20", "retrieved": "2016-06-23T14:46:10.331032", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Although historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in March 2013 after battling cancer for almost two years. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in April 2013 in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who had been Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s vice president, narrowly defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests, with at least 43 people killed on both sides of the conflict, and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with two opposition mayors.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in elections for the National Assembly, a major defeat for Chavismo and the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the opposition-controlled legislature\u2019s power by preventing four MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature, including an amnesty law that would have freed political prisoners.\nOpposition efforts are now focused on attempts to recall President Maduro through a national referendum, but many observers fear that the government will either prevent a vote altogether or delay it until after January 10, 2017. A recall on or prior to that date would yield a new presidential election. A recall after that date would result in President Maduro\u2019s appointed vice president assuming the presidency for the remainder of Maduro\u2019s term, through 2018. Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Almagro invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the situation in Venezuela on May 31, 2016, and the OAS Permanent Council will meet on June 23 to receive the Secretary-General\u2019s report.\nSince mid-2014, the rapid decline in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -8.0% in 2016), high inflation (projected year-end inflation of 720%), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the Maduro government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The economic situation has increased poverty, with increasing shortages of food and medicines and high rates of violent crime. \nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the Venezuelan government\u2019s lack of cooperation on anti-drug and counterterrorism efforts. The United States has imposed financial sanctions on several current or former Venezuelan officials for drug and weapons trafficking. \nThe Obama Administration strongly criticized the Venezuelan government\u2019s repression of protests in 2014 and called for dialogue. After dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions on more than 50 current or former Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. In March 2015, President Obama issued an executive order setting forth the authority for additional sanctions and imposed financial sanctions on several Venezuelan officials for human rights abuses. \nIn 2016, the Obama Administration has continued to speak out about the poor human rights situation and the democratic setback in Venezuela. It has called repeatedly for the release of those imprisoned for their political beliefs. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed U.S. support for the OAS Secretary-General\u2019s efforts, including the invocation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. \nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in December 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses. The 113th Congress also approved three resolutions on the political and human rights situation in Venezuela: S.Res. 213, H.Res. 488, and S.Res. 365.\nIn the 114th Congress, the Senate approved two bills related to Venezuela on April 28, 2016. S. 2845 (Rubio) would extend the termination date of the sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-278 from December 2016 to December 2019; an identical House bill, H.R. 5134 (Ros-Lehtinen), was introduced on April 29. S. 1635 (Corker), an FY2016 State Department authorization measure, would require a report on political freedom in Venezuela.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela through the annual foreign aid appropriations measure. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016. For FY2017, the Administration has requested $5.5 million.\nAlso see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "0f8e0245ecb1409bb13be18ef9e1780e4aa2ff7f", "filename": "files/20160620_R43239_0f8e0245ecb1409bb13be18ef9e1780e4aa2ff7f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "29afc9ca247844b205a95f4ff8b329c7429215d5", "filename": "files/20160620_R43239_29afc9ca247844b205a95f4ff8b329c7429215d5.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 452704, "date": "2016-05-19", "retrieved": "2016-05-24T19:03:56.702941", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "While historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations increased under the leftist, populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in March 2013 after battling cancer for almost two years. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in April 2013 in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who had been serving as Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s vice president, defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) by a close margin, with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. In 2014, the Maduro government violently suppressed protests, with at least 43 people killed on both sides of the conflict, and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with two opposition mayors.\nIn December 2015, the MUD initially won a two-thirds supermajority in elections for the National Assembly, a major defeat for Chavismo and the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Maduro government subsequently thwarted the power of the opposition-controlled legislature by preventing four MUD representatives from taking office (denying the opposition a supermajority) and using the Supreme Court to block bills approved by the legislature, including an amnesty law that would have freed political prisoners.\nOpposition efforts are now focused on attempts to recall President Maduro through a national referendum, but many observers fear that the government will either prevent a vote altogether or delay it until after January 10, 2017, at which point President Maduro\u2019s appointed vice president would assume the presidency for the remaining two years of Maduro\u2019s term. \nSince mid-2014, the rapid decline in the price of oil has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy (projected -8.0% in 2016), high inflation (projected year-end inflation of 720%), declining international reserves, and increasing poverty\u2014all exacerbated by the Maduro government\u2019s economic mismanagement. The economic situation has increased poverty, with increasing shortages of food and medicines and high rates of violent crime. \nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for more than a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela and the Venezuelan government\u2019s lack of cooperation on anti-drug and counterterrorism efforts. The United States has imposed financial sanctions on several current or former Venezuelan officials for drug and weapons trafficking. \nThe Obama Administration strongly criticized the Venezuelan government\u2019s repression of protests in 2014 and called for dialogue. After dialogue failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions on more than 50 current or former Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. In March 2015, President Obama issued an executive order setting forth the authority for additional sanctions and imposed financial sanctions on several Venezuelan officials for human rights abuses. \nIn 2016, the Obama Administration has continued to speak out about the poor human rights situation and the democratic setback in Venezuela. It has called repeatedly for the release of those imprisoned for their political beliefs. According to press reports in May 2016, U.S. intelligence officials believe that it is likely President Maduro will not serve out the rest of his term.\nCongressional Action\nCongress enacted legislation in December 2014\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278)\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses. The 113th Congress also approved three resolutions on the political and human rights situation in Venezuela: S.Res. 213, H.Res. 488, and S.Res. 365.\nIn the 114th Congress, the Senate approved two bills with implications for Venezuela on April 28, 2016. S. 2845 (Rubio) would extend the termination date of the sanctions set forth in P.L. 113-273 until December 31, 2019; an identical House bill, H.R. 5134 (Ros-Lehtinen), was introduced on April 29. S. 1635 (Corker), a FY2016 State Department authorization measure, has a provision that would require a report on political freedom in Venezuela.\nFor more than a decade, Congress has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela through the annual foreign aid appropriations measure. An estimated $6.5 million is being provided in FY2016. For FY2017, the Administration has requested $5.5 million.\nAlso see CRS In Focus IF10230, Venezuela: Political Situation and U.S. Policy Overview.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "96d73548b99d54cb5598f56add92ab13e2074b93", "filename": "files/20160519_R43239_96d73548b99d54cb5598f56add92ab13e2074b93.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "9a35fd290599dd03fb631664e26b968bf65e5718", "filename": "files/20160519_R43239_9a35fd290599dd03fb631664e26b968bf65e5718.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 439995, "date": "2015-04-01", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T19:18:02.559034", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "While historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations rose under the leftist populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez (1999-2013), who died in March 2013 after battling cancer for almost two years. After Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s death, Venezuela held presidential elections in April 2013 in which acting President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who had been serving as Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s vice president, defeated Henrique Capriles of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) by a margin of just 1.49%, with the opposition alleging significant irregularities. Venezuela\u2019s December 2013 municipal elections demonstrated mixed results for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the MUD.\nIn 2014 and 2015, the Maduro government has faced significant challenges. High rates of crime and violence fueled student-led street protests in February 2014 that were violently suppressed by Venezuelan security forces and militant pro-government civilian groups. The government arrested and imprisoned a major opposition figure, Leopoldo L\u00f3pez, along with two opposition mayors. While the protests largely dissipated by June 2014, at least 43 people were killed on both sides of the conflict and more than 800 injured. The Union of South America Nations initiated a government/opposition dialogue in April 2014, but the talks broke down because of a lack of progress. Since mid-2014, the rapid decline in the price of oil since has hit Venezuela hard, with a contracting economy, high inflation, declining international reserves, and increasing poverty. The Maduro government once again cracked down on the opposition in February 2015, arresting the mayor of metropolitan Caracas, Antonio Ledezma. Attention in Venezuela is now focused on elections for the unicameral National Assembly that are to take place in the last quarter of 2015. \nU.S. Policy\nU.S. policymakers and Members of Congress have had concerns for over a decade about the deterioration of human rights and democratic conditions in Venezuela as well as the Venezuelan government\u2019s lack of cooperation on anti-drug and counterterrorism efforts. The United States has imposed financial sanctions on eight current or former Venezuelan officials for allegedly helping the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia with drug and weapons trafficking. The United States has also imposed sanctions on three Venezuelan companies for support to Iran and on several Venezuelan individuals for supporting Hezbollah. Despite tensions in relations, the Obama Administration has maintained that the United States remains committed to seeking constructive engagement with Venezuela. \nIn response to the Venezuelan government\u2019s heavy-handed response to the protests in 2014, the Obama Administration strongly criticized the government\u2019s actions and called for dialogue. After dialogue between the government and the opposition failed, the Administration imposed visa restrictions in July 2014 and February 2015 on more than 50 current or former Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses. In March 2015, President Obama issued an executive order setting forth the authority for additional sanctions and imposed financial sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials for responsibility for human rights abuses. \nCongressional Action\nOver the past several years, developments in Venezuela and U.S. relations with the country have largely been oversight issues for Congress, but the 113th Congress enacted legislation\u2014the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-278) in December 2014\u2014to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for certain human rights abuses. The 113th Congress also approved three resolutions on the political and human rights situation in Venezuela: S.Res. 213 in October 2013, and H.Res. 488 and S.Res. 365 in March 2014 in the aftermath of Venezuela\u2019s crackdown on protests. For more than a decade, Congress also has appropriated funding for democracy and human rights programs in Venezuela through the annual foreign aid appropriations measure: in FY2014, $4.3 million was provided; in FY2015, the Administration requested $5 million, but actual aid estimates are not yet available; for FY2016, the Administration has requested $5.5 million.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43239", "sha1": "b55f43def69eb1e1b7c530866a63510b8db12240", "filename": "files/20150401_R43239_b55f43def69eb1e1b7c530866a63510b8db12240.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43239", "sha1": "c8572c899c2a02a58d8bf7fc805437f36bade083", "filename": "files/20150401_R43239_c8572c899c2a02a58d8bf7fc805437f36bade083.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806966/", "id": "R43239_2014Oct02", "date": "2014-10-02", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20141002_R43239_2a74c9bcaaffea1a6b8f95973049deacd118fbc0.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20141002_R43239_2a74c9bcaaffea1a6b8f95973049deacd118fbc0.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc491226/", "id": "R43239_2014Jun10", "date": "2014-06-10", "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "While historically the United States has had close relations with Venezuela, a major oil supplier, friction in bilateral relations rose over the past decade under the leftist populist government of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, who died in March 2013. This report examines Venezuela's political and economic climate and then discusses the U.S.'s policy in relation to the state.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140610_R43239_dac39bc727cd8834cb647ce41079e122bb90009f.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140610_R43239_dac39bc727cd8834cb647ce41079e122bb90009f.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Politics and government -- Venezuela", "name": "Politics and government -- Venezuela" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc306433/", "id": "R43239_2014May16", "date": "2014-05-16", "retrieved": "2014-07-08T21:53:44", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "This report discusses the current United States relation with Venezuela, including background on the political situation and recent developments, the economic conditions, relevant U.S. policies, and the legislative initiatives in the 111th and 112th Congresses. The United States traditionally has had close relations with Venezuela, a major supplier of foreign oil, but there has been friction in relations under the government of populist President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about human rights, Venezuela's military arms purchases, its relations with Cuba and Iran, and its efforts to export its brand of populism to other Latin American countries.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140516_R43239_557b1a6e52166460353244237db29e7f25ed8002.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140516_R43239_557b1a6e52166460353244237db29e7f25ed8002.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International relations", "name": "International relations" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc306474/", "id": "R43239_2014Apr11", "date": "2014-04-11", "retrieved": "2014-07-08T21:53:44", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "This report discusses the current Congressional issues in relation to Venezuela, including background on the political situation and recent developments, the economic conditions, relevant U.S. policies, and the legislative initiatives in the 111th and 112th Congresses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140411_R43239_80cd1b894a76b11d40102f33271b7bc4900ca2c2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140411_R43239_80cd1b894a76b11d40102f33271b7bc4900ca2c2.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Congress and foreign policy", "name": "Congress and foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc462304/", "id": "R43239_2014Feb28", "date": "2014-02-28", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "This report discusses the current Congressional issues in relation to Venezuela, including background on the political situation and recent developments, the economic conditions, relevant U.S. policies, and the legislative initiatives in the 113th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140228_R43239_18c7f91f12df7892b6ba6ded42394c0a58740f24.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140228_R43239_18c7f91f12df7892b6ba6ded42394c0a58740f24.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Venezuela" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Venezuela -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Congress and foreign policy", "name": "Congress and foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "Latin American Affairs", "National Defense" ] }