,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hed  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #bi1        
#bjai,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell 7for        
herself1 ,ms4 ,shalala1 ,ms4 ,garcia of 
,texas1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mr4  
,soto1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1   
and ,ms4 ,frankel7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a 
,,bill  ,to provide humanitarian        
assistance to the ,venezuelan people1   
including ,venezuelan migrants and      
refugees in the ,americas and for other 
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,humanitarian       
,assistance to the ,venezuelan ,people  
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
makes the following findings3  7#a7     
,venezuela is in the grips of           
unprecedented political and economic    
turmoil marked by hyperinflation1       
soaring crime rates1 and an             
authoritarian ,president4  7#b7         
,president ,nicols ,maduro and his      

predecessor have1 through               
authoritarianism1 graft1 and            
incompetence1 precipitated a massive    
humanitarian crisis both inside         
,venezuela and throughout the ,western  
,hemisphere4  7#c7 ,the ,venezuelan     
gross domestic product is expected to   
contract for the sixth year in a row in 
#bjai1 with the ,government defaulting  
on its external debt and inflation      
projected to exceed #a million percent  
this year4  7#d7 ,health outcomes in    
,venezuela have approached critical     
levels as food1 medicine1 and services  
become increasingly inaccessible1 with  
#aa4d percent of children in ,venezuela 
under #e years old suffering from       
moderate or acute malnutrition4  7#e7   
,nearly #aj percent of ,venezuela's     
population of #ca million have fled     
overseas1 with nearly #ij percent of    
those remaining living in poverty4  7#f7
 ,venezuelans have lost an average of   
#ai pounds of weight due to nationwide  
food shortages since the beginning of   

the country's economic crisis4  7#g7    
,venezuela is suffering from an #hh     
percent medicine shortage1 with more    
than #bb1jjj doctors leaving ,venezuela 
in the past #d years4  7#h7 ,the ,maduro
 ,government has repeatedly rejected    
offers of humanitarian assistance1      
despite the return of once-vanquished   
diseases like diphtheria and measles1   
rampant cases of malaria1 and the sharp 
rise in infant and maternal mortality4  
7#i7 ,venezuela's rates of homicide and 
other crimes have risen dramatically    
over the course of the crisis1 with     
chronic underreporting contributing to  
an insufficient understanding of the    
scope of the crisis4  #c4 ,requirement  
for strategy to provide humanitarian    
assistance to the people of ,venezuela  
7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in     
coordination with the ,administrator of 
the ,united ,states ,agency for         
,international ,development1 shall      

submit to the ,committee on ,foreign    
,affairs and the ,committee on          
,appropriations of the ,house of        
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,foreign ,relations and the ,committee  
on ,appropriations of the ,senate a     
long-term strategy to provide           
humanitarian assistance to the people of
 ,venezuela both in ,venezuela and      
throughout the ,western ,hemisphere     
through credible and independent        
nongovernmental organizations operating 
in ,venezuela or in neighboring         
countries to alleviate the suffering of 
the ,venezuelan people4  7b7 ,matters   
,to be included ,the strategy required  
under subsection 7a7 shall include the  
following3 7#a7 ,a description of how   
and to what extent the following        
assistance will be provided3  7,a7      
,public health commodities for          
,venezuelan health facilities and       
services1 including medicines on the    
,world ,health ,organization's ,list of 
,essential ,medicines and basic medical 

supplies and equipment4  7,b7 ,basic    
food commodities and nutritional        
supplements needed to address growing   
malnutrition and improve food security  
for the people of ,venezuela1 with a    
specific emphasis on the most vulnerable
 populations4  7,c7 ,technical          
assistance to ensure health and food    
commodities are appropriately selected1 
procured1 and distributed1 predominantly
 through local nongovernmental          
organizations4  7#b7 ,an identification 
of ,united ,states ,agency for          
,international ,development best        
practices in delivering humanitarian    
assistance1 particularly with regard to 
food assistance and how such best       
practices are being utilized in         
providing humanitarian assistance to    
,venezuela4  7#c7 ,a description of     
obstacles put in place by the ,maduro   
,government to prohibit the entry of    
humanitarian assistance into the        
country4  7#d7 ,a description of efforts
 to enhance support for countries in the

 ,western ,hemisphere in supporting the 
humanitarian needs of ,venezuelan       
migrants4  7#e7 ,a description of       
efforts to ensure that humanitarian     
assistance for ,venezuelans is          
coordinated with other ,united ,states  
bilateral assistance in the ,western    
,hemisphere and does not result in      
eliminating other bilateral assistance4 
7#f7 ,a description of how humanitarian 
assistance is being monitored and       
evaluated and what additional staff are 
managing the assistance4  #d4           
,comptroller general report on ,united  
,states efforts to provide humanitarian 
assistance to the people of ,venezuela  
,not later than #ahj days after the date
 of the enactment of this ,act1 the     
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall submit to the ,committee  
on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee 
on ,appropriations of the ,house of     
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,foreign ,relations and the ,committee  
on ,appropriations of the ,senate a     

report assessing the impact of ,united  
,states humanitarian assistance to the  
people of ,venezuela both in ,venezuela 
and throughout the ,western ,hemisphere4
  #e4 ,support for efforts at the       
,united ,nations on the humanitarian and
 political crisis in ,venezuela  7a7    
,initial efforts ,the ,president shall  
instruct the ,permanent ,representative 
of the ,united ,states to the ,united   
,nations to use the voice1 vote1 and    
influence of the ,united ,states to     
secure the necessary votes to--  7#a7   
place the humanitarian and political    
crisis in ,venezuela on the agenda at   
the ,united ,nations2 and  7#b7 secure a
 ,presidential ,statement from the      
,united ,nations urging the ,government 
of ,venezuela to allow the delivery of  
humanitarian relief4  7b7 ,additional   
efforts  7#a7 ,in general ,beginning not
 later than #cj days after the          
conclusion of efforts by the ,united    
,states ,permanent ,representative to   
the ,united ,nations under subsection   

7a71 the ,president shall instruct the  
,permanent ,representative to use the   
voice1 vote1 and influence of the       
,united ,states to secure the adoption  
of a ,united ,nations resolution        
described in paragraph 7#b74  7#b7      
,resolution described ,the ,united      
,nations resolution referred to in      
paragraph 7#a7 is a resolution          
encouraging-- 7,a7 the ,government of   
,venezuela to promptly allow safe and   
unhindered access for humanitarian      
agencies and their implementing         
partners1 including possible support    
from neighboring countries2 and  7,b7   
the ,government of ,venezuela to allow  
the delivery of food and medicine4  #f4 
,authorization of appropriations for    
humanitarian assistance to the people of
 ,venezuela  7a7 ,in general ,the       
,president is authorized to provide     
humanitarian assistance to support the  
people of ,venezuela both in ,venezuela 
and throughout the ,western ,hemisphere4
  7b7 ,authorization of appropriations  

,there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the ,president #aej1jjj1jjj each year
 for fiscal years #bjbj and #bjba to    
carry out this section4