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Read. Follow. Verify.House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: Venezuela at a Crossroads
Record date · January 1, 2019
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What This Bill Does
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing on February 13, 2019, to examine the humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela. Administration officials testified on U.S. policy responses to the Maduro regime's management of the country and the blocking of humanitarian aid.
This hearing established the legislative record and policy framework for U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian engagement regarding the Venezuelan crisis during the 116th Congress.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Venezuelan citizens
The population is experiencing a humanitarian crisis involving poverty, malnutrition, and migration.
U.S. Department of State
Agency officials provided testimony and are responsible for implementing U.S. policy toward Venezuela.
Key Facts
- The hearing took place on February 13, 2019, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
- Chairman Engel stated that 90% of Venezuelans are living in poverty.
- Chairman Engel stated that nearly 10% of Venezuela's 31 million population has fled the country.
- Chairman Engel stated that more than 1 in 10 children in Venezuela suffer from malnutrition.
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- The committee received testimony from officials representing the U.S. Department of State and USAID.
- The hearing addressed the Maduro regime's decision to block humanitarian aid at the Colombia-Venezuela border.
- Members were granted 5 days to submit additional statements, questions, and materials for the record.
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceFull breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift in Rhetoric
The committee explicitly rejected the framing of the Venezuelan crisis as a failure of socialism, instead labeling the regime a 'kleptocracy'.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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