The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing next Thursday to discuss the ongoing Venezuelan crisis and potential U.S. sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, and feature testimony from Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, as well as regional experts and a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), one of the most vocal supporters for U.S. sanctions against Maduro’s regime, released a statement about the hearing:
"The political crisis in Venezuela deserves more attention, and I’m pleased the Senate will focus on it next week," Rubio said. "It is equally important for the United States to take action against individuals ordering or committing human rights violations in Venezuela, and I hope the Senate will soon adopt through the sanctions legislation I and others have introduced."
"Next week’s hearing is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the Nicolás Maduro regime’s oppression and failures, along with the human toll it has had on the Venezuelan people," he added.
Rubio is a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill that would levy U.S. visa bans and asset freezes against committers of human rights abuses in Venezuela.
About 40 people have died throughout the government crackdown on protesters in Venezuela, where crime, inflation, and shortages are rampant.