Florida Congressional Delegation Warns About Maduro Regime in Venezuela

At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., pressed Antony Blinken on U.S. policy toward Venezuela and other Latin American nations. Blinken is President Barack Obama’s nominee to be deputy secretary of state. On Wednesday, Blinken said the administration backed Rubio’s “Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014” which would impose sanctions on leaders of the Maduro regime. “I am encouraged that the Obama administration finally announced its support for legislation pending before the Senate that would impose visa and financial sanctions on individuals committing human rights abuses in Venezuela,” Rubio said after the hearing. “In addition to the visa freezes the administration is already implementing against such individuals, they should immediately freeze the financial assets of these individuals.” More...