Donna Shalala: “This evening, Congress will vote on a bill I introduced, H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act. This bipartisan…”

“This evening, Congress will vote on a bill I introduced, H.R. 920, the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act. This bipartisan bill prohibits the export of defense articles and crime control materials from the United States to the security forces of Venezuela. The United States should have no business selling these tools for oppression to the Maduro regime, as it punishes and kills those who are peacefully protesting and demanding a return to democracy. Since Maduro usurped power in January, we have seen headline after headline: ``Maduro's Forces Kill, Injure Protestors as Standoff Over Aid in Venezuela Escalates''; ``Four Dead, Hundreds Detained After Venezuela Blackout''; and ``Venezuela Security Forces Kill, Punish Anti-Maduro Protestors.'' A few weeks ago, I traveled to the Venezuela-Colombia border, where I heard heartbreaking stories of friends and family members dying of starvation and treatable diseases, all while a brutal dictator does everything possible to prevent aid from being delivered. I met with refugees at hospitals in Colombia and heard their harrowing stories of being on the verge of death due to a lack of medical care. There were a number of high-risk pregnancies as a result. This is a humanitarian crisis that has bled through Venezuela's borders, and it continues to grow. This is personal for us in south Florida, where thousands of Venezuelans who have fled the crisis now call home.…”