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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: Venezuela at a Crossroads

Original title: VENEZUELA AT A CROSSROADS

January 1, 2019

Venezuela Foreign Policy Humanitarian Aid International Relations Nicolas Maduro

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The Frame

What this does

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 is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

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.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

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.

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.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

To hear from Trump administration policymakers regarding the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and discuss how the U.S. should engage on the issue.

Who testified at the hearing?

Elliott Abrams (U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela), Sandra Oudkirk (Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources), and Steve Olive (Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID).

Why It Matters

This hearing established the legislative record and policy framework for U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian engagement regarding the Venezuelan crisis during the 116th Congress.

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift in Rhetoric

The committee explicitly rejected the framing of the Venezuelan crisis as a failure of socialism, instead labeling the regime a 'kleptocracy'.

Eliot L. Engel Nicolas Maduro

Connected Entities

organizationHouse Committee on Foreign Affairs“Congressional committee conducting the hearing”Map →

personNicolas Maduro“President of Venezuela”Map →

personSandra Oudkirk“Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State”Map →

personElliott Abrams“U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, U.S. Department of State”Map →

personEliot L. Engel“Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs”Map →

personSteve Olive“Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean, USAID”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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