Salazar and Rubio’s VERDAD Reauthorization Act Passes House Foreign Affairs Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) bill to reauthorize sanctions placed on the Maduro regime in 2019, the VERDAD (Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development) Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6831), passed a markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Pressure on the Maduro regime must be restored in order to keep supporting the democratic opposition of Venezuela. Reauthorizing the VERDAD Act will give the United States government the tools to keep fighting for freedom in Venezuela and an end to the dictatorship.

“The people’s choice María Corina Machado won the opposition primary with over 90% of the vote. But the Maduro regime will not let her participate in elections because they fear her popularity,” said Rep. Salazar. “The VERDAD Act was Congress’s landmark Venezuela bill which gave us the tools to fight the Chavista oppression. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.”

“The House Foreign Affairs Committee has taken an important step by passing our VERDAD Reauthorization Act,” said Sen. Rubio. “Let there be no doubt, this bill is needed now more than ever following the evermore tyrannical tactics of Maduro and his thugs against leading opposition presidential candidate María Corina Machado and her team. It’s time for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to follow suit and pass this bipartisan and bicameral bill.”

As Chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Salazar has closely monitored the deteriorating state of Venezuelan institutions and democracy under the dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The regime blatantly violated the terms of the Barbados Agreement by banning María Corina Machado – his main competitor – who won over 90% of the opposition primary election vote. This comes shortly after Maduro established a distraction referendum to take over the Essequibo region of Guyana. Chavista Attorney General Tarek William Saab has also arrested several of María Corina’s closest political advisors.

First passed in 2019, the VERDAD Act was introduced to support efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela by sanctioning key regime officials while safeguarding the rights and liberties of those escaping socialist persecution. Reauthorization of the VERDAD Act is critically important to ensure the Maduro regime understands that bad actions have severe consequences.

Congresswoman Salazar introduced the VERDAD Reauthorization Act in December 2023. She recently convened a bipartisan roundtable in the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee for María Corina Machado to discuss the state of the opposition, the needs of the Venezuelan people, and the prospect of a peaceful transition to democracy and liberty. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Senate companion of the VERDAD Reauthorization Act.

Watch the Congresswoman’s full remarks here.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.

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