On the recordOctober 24, 2019
I rise today to speak about the crisis in Venezuela, a defining human rights issue of our time. Nicolas Maduro is starving his own people, and innocent children are dying. What is happening in Venezuela is pure genocide. With every day that passes, the situation in Venezuela grows more dire. I will not stand by and let Maduro continue terrorizing his people. I will not let Democrats in Congress use the Venezuelan people as a political prop. I will not allow the inaction to continue. Americans have always stood up for freedom, and today is no exception. That is why I am here again to ask unanimous consent to pass my amendment to H.R. 549, granting temporary protective status for Venezuelans fleeing Nicolas Maduro's oppressive regime. Even though Senate Democrats blocked the same proposal last month, I refuse to give up. I stand with the proud Venezuelans. My proposal has the support of all Senate Republicans. I believe that the President will sign this into law. It is the only solution that stands a chance of becoming law. We have to act. We also need to be responsible. The courts have, basically, made a temporary program permanent, which is not sustainable. Despite what some confused Democrats, including Speaker Pelosi may say, the ``T'' in TPS actually does mean ``temporary.'' In addition to protecting Venezuelan people right now, my amendment makes much needed reforms to our TPS program and returns the program to its intended purpose.…





