The U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 18 approved a bipartisan bill cosponsored by U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) that would prohibit contracting with persons who have business operations with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act, H.R. 825, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) and lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
“By passing the BOLIVAR Act, the House of Representatives is sending the clear message that the United States will never do business with a tyrant like Maduro,” said Rep. Salazar on Monday.
Nearly four months after Maduro attempted to steal the July 28 presidential election from his own people, the United States supported the opposition led by María Corina Machado and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia, according to information provided by Rep. Salazar’s staff.
If enacted, H.R. 825 would freeze up additional assets currently at Maduro’s disposal in an effort to place more pressure on his dictatorship, the information says.
“Edmundo González Urrutia won the election in July even after Maduro cheated, and no amount of repression will hide that simple truth from the Venezuelan people,” said Rep. Salazar. “Maduro’s time is up, and he knows it.”
Since the July 28 election, Rep. Salazar has championed other bipartisan legislation that also would put the squeeze on Maduro’s regime.
For example, she and Rep. Wasserman Schultz on Oct. 18 introduced the Revoke Exemptions for Venezuelan Oil to Curb Autocratic Repression (REVOCAR) Act of 2024, H.R. 9995, which would immediately halt investment by U.S. persons in the energy sector of Venezuela until the legitimate results of the July 28 election are respected. The bill is under consideration by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.