Wasserman Schultz, Salazar Sponsor Bill Defunding Maduro

Florida lawmakers are coming together to pushback against the Maduro regime. With the Revoke Exemptions for Venezuelan Oil to Curb Autocratic Repression Act (REVOCAR Act), the bill would prohibit new and existing licenses for companies to transact with Venezuela's state oil company. Florida Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R) have introduced the bill, which would defund Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Rep. Wasserman, the co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, announced the bill this week. The REVOCAR Act would restrict U.S. persons and entities from engaging in any type of transactions with PdVSA, which is Venezuela's regime-controlled energy company. This would eliminate General Licenses issued by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) that allows certain companies to conduct business with the Maduro regime.

In a statement, Rep. Wasserman Schultz commented that "Maduro's brutal regime refuses to honor the undeniable election results, despite clear evidence proving his loss." As a result, "rescinding these special licenses, which exclusively serve to subsidize the regime's crony corruption, violent repression, and flagrant human rights abuses, must be part of our international effort to reject Maduro's election theft."

"If we truly intend to see through a peaceful transition of power and honor the will of the Venezuelan people, we cannot afford to indulge fossil fuel companies' investors at the expense of democracy," Rep. Wasserman Schultz added.

Rep. Salazar, the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, also released a statement, commenting that "it's long past time to cut off the flow of money that the Maduro Dictatorship uses to oppress their people."

“We are sending a loud and clear message that if Maduro stays, there will be no oil money for the Venezuelan regime," she added.