Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) called on President Obama to support immediate sanctions and visa bans on top Venezuelan officials in a letter sent Wednesday.
"Three months ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging you to impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against officials involved in this ongoing repression," Rubio wrote in the letter to the president. "I have been working with Senators Menendez and Nelson on legislation that would impose such sanctions immediately. I intend to seek Senate passage of this bill in the coming weeks, a version of which the House of Representatives has already passed, to ensure that Congress continues to send a strong message to the Maduro regime."
Rubio called on Obama to use the levers of government to make life difficult for those in the government who are abusing human rights.
"I urge you to heed these bipartisan calls from Congress and take action immediately. You already have the ability to begin to make life more difficult for those involved in brutal human rights abuses and corruption," Rubio wrote.
The Florida senator has long advocated for sanctions against "individuals and companies associated with the Maduro regime." He says these efforts would have a significant impact because individuals who benefit monetarily by supporting the regime often invest and keep money in the United States.
To date the administration has been hesitant to embrace sanctions.
Administration officials testified in May before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that it is not the appropriate time to implement them.
Rubio condemned that position as negligent asking.
"How can the United States not firmly be on the side of people who are being violated in this systemic way?" he asked. "We are calling on identifying human rights violators in Venezuela, naming them by name, and sanctioning them for what they’ve done. I just don’t understand how we can sit here and say that the time isn’t right to do that."
Protests in the nation began in February with students in San Cristobal. They quickly spread across the country as protestors took to the streets to condemn the regime and express frustration with persistent problems, such as crime, inflation, and shortages of basic goods.
At least 40 people have died since the protests began.