The Senate passed the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935), which reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until 2028. The bill includes several provisions led by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), including an...
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking to politically target Israel for rightfully defending itself from terrorists seeking its destruction following the October 7, 2023 atrocities committed by Hamas. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV),...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Allowing Japan-based Nippon Steel Company to acquire U.S. Steel raises serious economic and national security concerns. President Joe Biden claims to oppose the sale of this American company but has not taken action within his power to stop the deal. U.S. Senators...
Partisan actors often use citizen suit provisions of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act to stifle energy and economic development projects with time-consuming litigation. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced...
Military families face significant challenges when moving due to a permanent change of station (PCS). The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has several programs to address these challenges, such as finding a new home, establishing health care providers, and changing...
Reimposed sanctions on Maduro are overdue and insufficient
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
April 19, 2024
…Last October, the United States waived constraints on Venezuela’s state-run oil, gas, and gold sectors in exchange for Maduro’s promise to administer a “free and fair” presidential election this year. That was a naïve decision with devastating consequences….
[President Biden] should have known Maduro would not keep his promises. What incentive does the narco-dictator have to allow the Venezuelan people to vote him out of office? …Beyond that, what is Maduro’s track record for negotiating in good faith?
Moreover, President Biden should have reimposed sanctions as soon as Maduro arbitrarily detained members of Machado’s campaign team…. But even when Maduro placed a ban on Machado, President Biden only restored sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run gold sector. That allowed the narco-regime to rake in roughly billions from oil and gas profits during February, March, and early April….
[This has] only emboldened Maduro. Just recently, the narco-dictator threatened open war against Guyana, a democracy with close economic ties to our government. Meanwhile, Venezuelans are no closer to being free from oppression….
My colleagues and I have repeatedly urged President Biden to maintain the 60 country-strong coalition that rejects Maduro’s legitimacy. Instead of going soft on the narco-dictator, the United States should collaborate with democratic partners to impose additional sanctions…and to enforce the 2020 indictment against Maduro and his cronies for terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking.
Would these moves solve every problem in Venezuela? No. Nevertheless, they would help constrain the regime’s tyranny and diminish its cash flow…. President Biden’s strategy of appeasement has only prolonged Maduro’s grip on power.