Today, Congresswoman Donna Shalala (FL-27) released the following statement:
“On Sunday, the Maduro regime reaffirmed its commitment to steamroll democracy when it held an illegitimate, sham election in the National Assembly and used its security forces to prevent opposition legislators and Interim President Juan Guaidó from entering the building. The interim government led by Guaidó remains the legitimate, democratically-elected government of Venezuela.
“As this political crisis and usurpation of democracy continues, we must also remember that Venezuelans are suffering from the largest humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere. Congress has taken decisive action to work towards solving this crisis. As part of the single largest legislative effort to date, Congress passed the bipartisan VERDAD Act, which was signed into law in December. The VERDAD Act provides an increase of U.S. humanitarian assistance, reaffirms U.S. support for the interim President Guaidó, and strengthens tools to combat kleptocracy and human rights abuses, among other provisions.
“As part of addressing this crisis, we must also grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans. The House of Representatives decisively passed a bill granting TPS, but the bill languishes in the Senate. Meanwhile, President Trump has the authority to grant Venezuelans TPS today, but he continues to ignore those Venezuelans who have sought freedom in the United States.”
