WASHINGTON – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Ranking Member Albio Sires (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the administration’s announcement of sanctions on individuals associated with the proposed creation of a constituent assembly to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution:

“The sanctions announced by the administration today send a strong, clear message that the United States stands with the Venezuelan people against their government’s undermining of democracy and the rule of law.  The National Constituent Assembly that the Maduro government plans to convene on July 30 in order to rewrite the constitution and dissolve democratic institutions is a direct affront to the will of the people of Venezuela. We urge the administration to continue working with our international partners to increase pressure on the Maduro government for these illegitimate plans. We also stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and urge the Maduro government to end its repression, release all political prisoners including U.S. citizen Joshua Holt, and accept humanitarian aid.”

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