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Just before the weekend began, I issued the following statement of support for the Venezuelan people with my colleagues, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz:
“As Venezuelans prepare to exercise their right to vote this Sunday, we condemn the Maduro dictatorship’s continued abuse and repression of María Corina Machado, Edmundo González, their staff, human rights advocates, and the Venezuelan free press.
“Venezuelans deserve to have their right to self-determination respected. We commend Venezuela’s democratic opposition for their resilience and commitment to nonviolence, despite Maduro’s vicious threats and actions that have rendered this election neither free nor fair.
“We urge the Biden administration and regional democracies to use all diplomatic and economic tools at their disposal to apply maximum pressure on Maduro to ensure that the election results are honored and to see through a peaceful transfer of power.
“Bipartisan Members of Congress will monitor this Sunday’s election closely. We reaffirm our commitment to robust action at all levels of government in support of the Venezuelan people, including the enactment of legislation to impose new sanctions if the will of Venezuelan voters is undermined by the regime.”
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