OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Venezuela

Floor Speech

Date: Oct. 24, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Immigration

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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the crisis in Venezuela, a defining human rights issue of our time. Nicolas Maduro is starving his own people, and innocent children are dying. What is happening in Venezuela is pure genocide. With every day that passes, the situation in Venezuela grows more dire.

I will not stand by and let Maduro continue terrorizing his people. I will not let Democrats in Congress use the Venezuelan people as a political prop. I will not allow the inaction to continue.

Americans have always stood up for freedom, and today is no exception. That is why I am here again to ask unanimous consent to pass my amendment to H.R. 549, granting temporary protective status for Venezuelans fleeing Nicolas Maduro's oppressive regime. Even though Senate Democrats blocked the same proposal last month, I refuse to give up. I stand with the proud Venezuelans.

My proposal has the support of all Senate Republicans. I believe that the President will sign this into law. It is the only solution that stands a chance of becoming law. We have to act.

We also need to be responsible. The courts have, basically, made a temporary program permanent, which is not sustainable. Despite what some confused Democrats, including Speaker Pelosi may say, the ``T'' in TPS actually does mean ``temporary.''

In addition to protecting Venezuelan people right now, my amendment makes much needed reforms to our TPS program and returns the program to its intended purpose. We want those seeking refuge from war and oppressive regimes to have a safe haven in our country, but we need a system that works and is truly temporary. We need to act now to save the Venezuelan people.

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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. (English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)

We need TPS now.

I stand with the people of Venezuela, and I will continue to fight for freedom and democracy in Latin America.

It is time for Maduro and his thugs to leave power.

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