Posted on 08/14/2021 3:16:56 AM PDT by Enlightened1
Nineteen House Democrats wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday calling on the Biden administration to remove all sanctions against Venezuela, arguing that the "maximum pressure" campaign against the authoritarian regime of Nicolas Maduro hasn't worked.
Members of Congress who signed the letter include Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García of Illinois, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair fo the House Progressive Caucus.
"By any measure, the current 'maximum pressure' policy towards Venezuela has been a total failure," read the letter.
The lawmakers asked the Biden Administration to "immediately lift all U.S. financial and sectoral sanctions that exacerbate the humanitarian crisis" and "most urgently, the U.S. should reverse the Trump ban that prohibits Venezuela from exchanging crude oil for diesel, thereby hindering food production and distribution."
The members of Congress recommend that Biden "engage in direct dialogue with the Maduro government while maintaining strong diplomatic pressure in opposition to Maduro’s human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions."
The group of Democrats also wrote that Biden should "engage in dialogue with a broader array of political actors in Venezuela, including moderate opposition sectors that are not aligned with Juan Guaidó and moderate chavista sectors that are critical of the Maduro government."
According to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. government currently recognizes Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela.
In the letter, the lawmakers argued that the Trump administration’s "ill-conceived policies have only exacerbated the crisis and damaged U.S. credibility throughout the region.”
Grijalva said the Biden Administration "must abandon Trump's failed and destructive policies that only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis" in Venezuela.
“We can and must move from a sanctions-driven approach to one of constructive dialogue that brings in opposition actors who want a democratic, political solution, rather than a strategy of overthrow, violence, and collective punishment," he said in a press release.
Garcia echoed Grijalva's stance on the issue.
“Our policy towards Venezuela promotes suffering, not democracy. Venezuelans already face the effects of a political crisis, an economic collapse, and the COVID-19 pandemic," he said. "Crippling sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration make a difficult situation even worse. We must take immediate action to lift the sanctions harming vulnerable Venezuelans.”
As of this moment you posted this about 25 minutes ago. I’m guessing there are so few comments because no one even knows where to start. The Squad and their ilk are crazy as hell.
In other words, the sanctions are hurting these Democrats’ communist friends.
They want negotiation that leaves a new band of communists in charge of Venezuela.
If you ask most Democrats, they will say Venezuela failed because of US policies, not socialism.
Despite the Trump, Trump, blah, blah Trump, evil Trump repeated ad nauseum in the letter, I would like sanctions lifted.
The sanctions we institute against these countries do affect their citizens, especially the everyday people, and families- those at the top of the food chain not so much.
How is our Government’s current attempts to bend us to their will feel? Imagine how other countries feel when we insert our noses and punishments, regime change efforts, confiscation of assets, theft of their natural resources, etc., into their health, infrastructure, culture, and livelihoods.
Lets support the communists that have Russian equipment sitting down there. Sure! Great idea!
Does this have anything to do with the climate refugees?
Let’s see if the tail wags the dog.
Don’t sign anything sponsored by those people. Rule of thumb would say to do the exact opposite of anything they would sponsor.
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