June 29, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5359

were never expected to win, but they In mainland China, Mr. Speaker, the CLOSE defeated the number 1, the number 2, Chinese Government continues to jail In Mainland China, the Chinese government and the number 4 seed teams by a com- journalists, human rights lawyers, continues to jail journalists, human rights law- bined score of 25–2. those fighting to practice their own re- yers, those fighting to practice their own reli- So, Mr. Speaker, once again, I would ligion, and democracy activists at an gion and democracy activists at an alarming just like to congratulate this hard- alarming rate. And the Chinese Gov- rate. working team of student athletes, their ernment is brutally trying to erase the And the Chinese Government is brutally try- coaches, and their parents for their religion, culture, and language of the ing to erase the religion, culture and language State Championship win. This really Tibetan people. of the Tibetan people. does go to show that perseverance and America has a moral duty to speak America has a moral duty to speak out in hard work pay off. out in defense of the legitimate polit- defense of the legitimate political aspirations f ical aspirations of the people of Hong of the people of Hong Kong. RECOGNIZING THE 20TH ANNIVER- Kong. If we do not speak out for human If we do not speak out for human rights in SARY OF HONG KONG’S TRANS- rights in China because of economic China because of economic concerns, then FER TO CHINA concerns, then we lose all moral au- we lose all moral authority to talk about (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given thority to talk about human rights in human rights in any other place in the world. permission to address the House for 1 any other place in the world. As we mark this solemn anniversary, we minute and to revise and extend her re- As we mark this solemn 20th anniver- must stand up for all those who are demand- marks.) sary, we must stand up for all who are ing the promises of ‘one country, two systems’ Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, in 1984, be- demanding the promises of ‘‘one coun- be honored. fore the United Kingdom handed Hong try, two systems’’ be honored. Kong over to China, the Chinese Gov- INTRO—JOINT DECLARATION f ernment promised ‘‘a high degree of au- In 1984, before the United Kingdom handed tonomy’’ for the territory in the Joint over Hong Kong to China, the Chinese gov- THE LAST BATTLE FOR Declaration on the Question of Hong ernment promised ‘a high degree of autonomy’ DEMOCRACY IN VENEZUELA for the territory in the Joint Declaration on the Kong: providing for an independent ex- (Mr. FASO asked and was given per- Question of Hong Kong: ecutive, legislature, and judiciary; en- mission to address the House for 1 suring the freedom of speech, press, as- —providing for an independent executive, legislature and judiciary; minute and to revise and extend his re- sembly, and religion; prohibiting the marks.) central government from interfering —ensuring the freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion; Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, as we plan into the affairs that Hong Kong admin- to celebrate Independence Day on the isters on its own according to the Basic —prohibiting the central government from Fourth of July, it is important for us Law; and pledging a path to universal interfering in the affairs that Hong Kong ad- also to recognize a human rights trag- suffrage. ministers on its own according to the Basic In 1997, when the handover occurred, Law; edy and an abomination of democracy America was hopeful that the people of —and pledging a path to universal suffrage. as totalitarian rulers of Venezuela are Hong Kong would achieve the free, In 1997, when the handover occurred, suppressing their people in our south- democratic future they deserved. But 2 America was hopeful that the people of Hong ern hemisphere. decades later, we see China’s promise Kong would achieve the free, democratic fu- To call attention to this tragic situa- of ‘‘one country, two systems’’ is not ture they deserved. tion where thousands of people are being met. The Chinese have not hon- But two decades later, we see China’s being suppressed, where armed mobs ored that promise, and the British Gov- promise of ‘one country, two systems’ is not are running around the streets intimi- ernment has ignored it. being met. The Chinese have not honored that dating people, and where Venezuelans Since 2014’s ‘‘Umbrella Revolution,’’ promise, and the British have ignored it. cannot achieve the basic necessities of the people of Hong Kong have faced a RECENT CRACKDOWN life, I include in the RECORD an article barrage of unjust and harsh restric- Since 2014’s ‘Umbrella Revolution,’ the peo- that recently appeared in The Wall tions on their freedoms. Hong Kong’s ple of Hong Kong have faced a barrage of un- Street Journal, ‘‘The Last Battle for pro-Beijing government is slapping just and harsh restrictions on their freedoms. Democracy in Venezuela,’’ and to call democratically elected opposition law- Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing government is attention to the human rights tragedy makers with expensive lawsuits in a slapping democratically-elected opposition which is occurring in South America. backhanded attempt to disqualify lawmakers with expensive lawsuits in a back- [From The Wall Street Journal, June 23, them from their seats. handed attempt to disqualify them from their 2017] Peaceful activists are being rounded seats. THE LAST BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN up and detained by the hundreds for ex- Peaceful activists are being rounded up and VENEZUELA ercising their right to protest the new detained by the hundreds for exercising their Under Nicola´ s Maduro, a county that had government. right to protest the new government. been one of Latin America’s wealthiest is Five booksellers were abducted, Five booksellers were abducted, smuggled having its democratic institutions shred- smuggled across the border to China across the border to China and forced to con- ded amid rising poverty and corruption and forced to confess—so-called con- fess their so-called crimes on national tele- (By David Luhnow and Jose´ de Cordoba) fess—their so-called crimes on national vision—simply because their employer sold Almost two decades after Venezuela’s late television, simply because their em- books critical of Beijing. president, Hugo Cha´ vez, came to power in an ployer sold books critical of Beijing. WONG ARREST electoral landslide, his country’s trans- And, just this week, the democracy And, just this week, the democracy activists formation seems to be taking an ominous activists and heroes of the ‘‘Umbrella and heroes of the ‘Umbrella Movement’, Josh- new turn. A country that was once one of Movement,’’ Joshua Wong and Nathan ua Wong and Nathan Law, were arrested one America’s wealthiest is seeing its demo- Law, were arrested while peacefully cratic institutions collapse, leading to levels while peacefully protesting the visit of Chinese of disease, hunger and dysfunction more protesting the visit of Chinese Presi- President Xi Jinping—where they unfurled a often seen in war-torn nations than oil-rich dent Xi Jinping, where they unfurled a banner in support of Liu Xiaobo. ones. banner in support of Liu Xiaobo. This egregious attempt at smothering free Mr. Cha´ vez’s successor, President Nicola´ s Mr. Speaker, I want to commend this speech is alarming, illegal and deserves the Maduro, has called for a National Constitu- body, especially our colleague, Con- swift condemnation of the international com- tional Assembly to be elected on July 30 to gressman CHRIS SMITH of New Jersey, munity. draft a new constitution, in which ill-defined for the resolution that he put forth We must honor the protestors’ chant—‘the communal councils will take the place of earlier, a resolution that recognized world is watching’—and condemn the arrest of Venezuela’s traditional governing institu- Liu Xiaobo’s contribution to demo- tions, such as state governments and the op- Wong and the other demonstrators. position-dominated Congress. The new as- cratic freedoms as a global hero, and Unfortunately, Beijing shows absolutely zero sembly appears to be rigged to heavily rep- urging the Chinese Government to signs of ceasing its aggressive campaign of resent groups that back the government. allow him to seek medical care wher- intimidation against democracy and human The Maduro government says that the new ever, including in the United States. rights activists. assembly will find a peaceful way forward for

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:15 Jun 30, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K29JN7.094 H29JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H5360 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 29, 2017 a country enduring an economic depression seized. ‘‘I’m a hostage in my own country,’’ tions of corruption, economic mismanage- and standing on the brink of civil conflict. he said. ment and repression as part of an ‘‘economic The government says it is building on the Amid the economic crisis and protests, the war’’ being waged by Venezuela’s private sec- legacy of Mr. Cha´ vez, a military man who government has headed down an increasingly tor, in cahoots with the U.S., to destabilize vowed to fight corruption, dismantle the authoritarian path. It has raised the number and overthrow the socialist government. venal old political establishment and be a of political prisoners over the past year to As in many petrostates, oil accounts for voice for millions of poor Venezuelans. But 391, according to the Venezuelan human- 95% of Venezuela’s foreign-currency earn- the opposition, which is boycotting the as- rights group Foro Penal—nearly four times ings. Since the government administers the sembly vote, calls it a naked attempt to end the total from a year ago. Most are being oil, one sure way to get ahead is not by cre- democracy and turn the country into a Cuba- tried in military courts. And the government ating a new business but by getting close to style communist autocracy. The govern- is seeking to remove its rebellious attorney the government to secure access to oil rents. ment’s own attorney general calls the vote general through a case in the supreme court. Venezuelans call the enterprising class fol- illegal. The government didn’t answer requests for lowing this model ‘‘los enchufados’’—the The 545-member assembly, a modern-day comment. plugged-in ones. soviet, would hold unlimited power while it The so-called Bolivarian revolution has be- The path to power in Venezuela is often writes a new governing charter, which could come less about ideology and more about said to run through the army and oil. Once in power, the populist Mr. Cha´ vez went after take years. Meantime, the assembly is wide- money. Venezuelans often call it a the oil, eventually firing 19,000 employees of ly expected to scrap next year’s presidential ‘‘robolucio´n’’ rather than a ‘‘revolucio´n,’’ the state-run oil firm Petro´ leos de Venezuela elections. using the Spanish word for robbery. If Cuba to stack the company with his yes-men. ‘‘This is the last battle for democracy in is an ideologically motivated communist dic- After a brief and unsuccessful coup against Venezuela,’’ says David Smilde, a Venezuela tatorship, Venezuela is something different; him in 2002, he also cleaned out the barracks, expert at Tulane University. as oil-rich as Saudi Arabia, as authoritarian handing over indoctrination and training to For the U.S., the prospect of a new Cuba as Russia and as corrupt as Nigeria. his Cuban allies. sitting atop trillions of dollars of oil reserves Spectacular accusations of drug traf- In the following years, oil prices rose is profoundly unpleasant. For the past dec- ficking and corruption have sullied Mr. sharply, and Mr. Cha´ vez spent lavishly. He ade, Venezuela has aligned itself with Rus- Maduro’s own family. Two nephews of Ven- saved none of the windfall, ran large budget sia, China, Iran and Syria. Whether it ezuela’s first lady, Cilia Flores, are awaiting deficits even at peak-oil prices, raided the thrives or implodes, Mr. Maduro’s petrostate sentencing in New York after being found country’s rainy-day oil fund, and borrowed could cause far greater headaches to the U.S. guilty last year of conspiring to import 800 heavily, first from Wall Street and then from and Latin America than isolated Cuba. An kilos of cocaine to the U.S. through Hon- the Chinese and the Russians. He handed out implosion could mean bigger shipments of duras. They pleaded not guilty. billions of dollars worth of cut-rate oil to cocaine to Central America and the U.S., as The interior minister, Gen. Ne´stor Reverol, Cuba, Nicaragua and even Boston and Lon- well as a massive increase in the current has been indicted in the U.S. for drug traf- don to show off Venezuela’s growing energy flow of tens of thousands of refugees already ficking; Vice President Tareck El Aissami is clout. fleeing the country for the U.S., Colombia, on the U.S. Treasury Department’s kingpin The number of government employees dou- Brazil and elsewhere. And a consolidation of list for allegedly protecting drug traffickers; bled, to five million, and spending sky- power could let Mr. Maduro deepen his part- and the head of Venezuela’s supreme court is rocketed. Printing so much money caused in- nership with U.S. adversaries. on another Treasury blacklist far gutting flation, so the government set prices, some- The Trump administration has criticized the country’s democratic institutions. They times below the cost of production. Compa- Mr. Maduro’s plans to change the constitu- all say that they are innocent and accuse the nies that refused to sell at a loss were seized, tion, urging ‘‘respect for democratic norms U.S. of trying to destabilize Venezuela. aggravating shortages. Less local production and processes.’’ The U.S. has called for Ven- In some ways, analysts say, the extent of made the country ever more reliant on im- ezuela to free political prisoners, respect the these accusations has made a negotiated so- ports. opposition-controlled congress and ‘‘hold lution to Venezuela’s crisis more difficult. But once the price of oil began to drop in free and democratic elections.’’ ‘‘The regime’s connection to crime and drugs 2014, Venezuela could no longer afford the Mr. Maduro’s move has aggravated Ven- is what makes it difficult for them to give up imports, which have fallen from $66 billion in ezuela’s political crisis. The opposition, sens- power,’’ says Harold Trinkunas, an expert on 2012 to about $15.5 billion this year. And ing a do-or-die moment, plans to ramp up Venezuela at Stanford University. ‘‘Many there is little domestic industry left to pick daily street protests. Some 80 people have have to be worried that if they step down, up the slack. died in such demonstrations in the past they will be put on a plane to the U.S.’’ ‘‘It is classic Latin American populism on three months, and the president is unlikely In Cuba, the Castro dynasty has kept steroids, and now we have the worst hang- to ease off on the tear gas, rubber bullets and power despite decades of disastrous economic over in history,’’ said Juan Nagel, a Ven- water cannons. ‘‘Maduro’s ultimate aim is to policies due to devotion to the charismatic ezuelan economist living in Chile. Beyond some new public housing, little turn Venezuela into Cuba. And we will not Fidel, popular achievements such as uni- was built. Mr. Cha´ vez left Venezuela littered accept being put in that cage,’’ says Julio versal free health care, ideological loyalty to with the bones of ambitious, half-finished Borges, the head of the opposition-dominated Marxism, discipline enforced by security public-works projects. Among them was a $20 National Assembly. forces, and the nationalist frisson of facing billion scheme to build a train network, Venezuela’s momentous new step isn’t tak- off against the U.S. In Venezuela, aside from which now lies abandoned. In Caracas, a new ing place amid the kind of revolutionary eu- a similar devotion to Mr. Cha´ vez, the glue subway line ended up being just one addi- phoria that Mr. Cha´ vez may have imagined that has held the regime together is simpler; tional stop on an existing line, prompting before he died of cancer in 2013. Rather, it is oil-soaked corruption on an epic scale. local wags to call it the Centi Metro (centi- being pushed by an unpopular government Former planning minister Jorge Giordani, ´ meter) rather than just a plain Metro. trying to keep power amid an economic im- one of Mr. Chavez’s closest confidantes, said Unperturbed, the flamboyant leader fo- plosion. in 2015 that of an estimated $1 trillion in oil cused on projects like changing Venezuela’s By year’s end, Venezuela’s economy will revenue received during the Cha´ vez years, time zone by half an hour. He renamed the have shrunk by nearly a third in the past two-thirds had been distributed to workers country the Bolivarian Republic of Ven- four years—a plunge similar to Cuba’s after through subsidies and cash transfers. The ezuela. And to mark the shift in Venezuela’s the fall of the Soviet Union, and one rarely rest, more than $300 billion, had ‘‘fallen political course, he changed the direction of seen outside of conflict zones. In a nation es- through the cracks,’’ he said. Mr. Giordani a wild stallion on the country’s coat of arms, timated to be sitting on as much oil as Saudi quit Mr. Maduro’s government in disgust in making the horse gallop left instead of right. Arabia, it is common to see poor families 2014 and now lives in a quiet neighborhood of Mr. Cha´ vez’s revolution attacked the old rummaging through garbage for food, even Caracas. elites, sending nearly two million Ven- as the wealthy pack nearby gourmet res- This year, the U.S. Treasury Department ezuelans—and billions of dollars—packing in taurants. put Samark Lo´ pez, a Venezuelan business- the past 10 years. But in their stead rose a Inflation was estimated by the Inter- man, on a blacklist, accusing him of being a new elite: the so-called Boliburgueses, or national Monetary Fund at 720% this year; it frontman for Vice President El Aissami, an Bolivarian bourgeoisie, who enjoyed a life of is expected to surpass 2,000% next year. alleged drug trafficker. Announcing the sei- premium wines, Scotches and cars as poverty Shortages are so acute that three out of four zure, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin levels rose. Venezuelans lost an average of 18 pounds last said that the U.S. had frozen assets worth ‘‘You don’t see that in Cuba or Vietnam. year, according to a survey by Venezuelan ‘‘tens of millions’’ of dollars when it seized a But here, you see Hummers, private jets and universities. Diseases not seen there in dec- slew of properties and firms owned or con- obscene new mansions,’’ says Miguel Pizarro, ades, such as malaria, are back. trolled by Mr. Lo´ pez in the U.S., the U.K. an opposition leader whose father was a ‘‘The government is desperate because and elsewhere. In a statement, Mr. Lo´ pez de- Marxist guerrilla in Venezuela and whose they know the next presidential election will nied any wrongdoing and called the accusa- mother served in Mr. Cha´ vez’s first political be their last,’’ says Ce´sar Miguel Rondo´ n, a tions ‘‘politically motivated.’’ party in the mid-1990s. ‘‘These guys literally popular radio host. When the host recently The government didn’t respond to requests bought the homes where Venezuela’s elite tried to leave Venezuela on a business trip to for comment, but in the past, Mr. Maduro lived, tore them down and built even bigger Miami with his family, he had his passport and other officials have dismissed accusa- ones.’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:15 Jun 30, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A29JN7.074 H29JNPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE June 29, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5361 Few enjoyed la dolce vita of Caracas more porary Art, water drips into buckets near sary of the Utica Observer-Dispatch. than Wilmer Ruperti, a businessman who paintings by Picasso and Mondrian. The mu- Founded in 1817, the Utica OD was one earned Mr. Cha´ vez’s loyalty in 2002 when he seum is so empty that a thief replaced a of only 421 papers in the country, and helped break an oil strike. Mr. Ruperti was a Matisse portrait with a fake without anyone the fifth newspaper founded in New familiar sight in Caracas, riding in an ar- noticing for several years. mored Jaguar accompanied by two North Ko- Alberto Barrera, the author of a biography York State. rean bodyguards. The magnate cemented his of Mr. Cha´ vez who now lives in Mexico City, For the past 200 years, the Utica OD friendship with Mr. Cha´ vez by buying a pair thinks that the time is fast approaching has kept our region informed through of Simo´ n Bolı´var’s pistols for $1.7 million in when he and the opposition may need to say quality reporting on important issues a New York auction and presenting them to goodbye to their hopes. ‘‘I wonder when I impacting our local community. the Venezuelan leader. will wake up and realize, ‘They beat us.’ As an unwavering member of the Last year, Mr. Ruperti paid the multi- That it’s all over and the county I knew is fourth estate, the Utica Observer-Dis- million-dollar legal fees for the criminal de- gone,’’ he said. patch had a leading role in exposing fense of Mr. Maduro’s nephews. At the same Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, it is vitally time, Mr. Ruperti’s firm won a $138 million the inner workings of our once orga- contract from the state oil company. Mr. important that we stand up on this nized crime-influenced city. For this Ruperti said it was his patriotic duty to pay Fourth of July, not just for democracy dedicated service on this very issue, the nephews’ legal fees as a way of relieving here in the United States, but for de- and its campaign for justice against the pressures on Mr. Maduro. He denied any mocracy in other parts of the world as corruption, the Utica Observer-Dis- link between the payment of the fees and the people are struggling. patch was awarded the Pulitzer Prize state oil-firm contract. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, in 1959. Corruption helps the government maintain and Happy Fourth of July to all of our I commend the Utica OD for its 200 political control. And no tool has been more countrymen around the United States effective than exchange controls, initially years of steadfast reporting, and I en- adopted by Mr. Cha´ vez in 2002 during a na- of America. courage the Observer-Dispatch and its tional strike to control capital flight. Fif- f committed members of the fourth es- teen years later, they have reshaped Ven- TRUMPCARE IS A DEVASTATING tate to continue with its stated mis- ezuela’s economy and given the government BILL sion, to keep our citizens informed enormous power to pick who gets dollars through impartial investigative report- from the country’s oil wealth—often at ab- (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was ing. surdly low rates. given permission to address the House Also, on a personal note, when I was For instance, firms and others who import for 1 minute.) food get dollars at the official rate of 10 boli- a teenager, I actually delivered the vars. But they can turn around and sell those Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as Utica Observer-Dispatch, and it was an dollars on the black market for 8,300 boli- we go home to commemorate the birth honor to do it and a small way for me vars. of this Nation, to wish all well, we to start off my earning a living. Venezuela’s army recently got the rights would hope we would be able to go So I just want to thank the Utica OD to set up its own mining and oil companies, home by feeling comfortable that the and congratulate them again on 200 and the armed forces are in charge of most administration was taking care of the years. critical imports. In 2016, 18 generals and ad- American people. mirals were tasked with importing key foods f and sanitary items. One brigadier general We have come to find out that the EPA is reversing a decision of the THERE IS NO HEART IN THE was put in command of acquiring black SENATE HEALTHCARE BILL beans; another was charged with acquiring Obama administration to allow a pes- toilet paper, feminine napkins and diapers. ticide by the name of—trade name (Mr. LOWENTHAL asked and was Logically, an admiral was placed in charge Lorsban, that is chlorophyll-based, to given permission to address the House of acquiring fish. be utilized on fruits and vegetables. for 1 minute and to revise and extend No one knows how much money has been I understand the needs of farmers, his remarks.) lost. Mr. Giordani estimated that a third of but there are documented studies that the $59 billion that the government handed Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, the out to companies to bring imports into the indicate that it may have a significant Senate version was supposed to be the country in 2012 might have ended up in impact on the brain function of little one, according to the President, with fraudulent schemes. children as young as 7 years old. heart. There is no heart in this bill. ‘‘It’s a terrible economic model, but it’s Where is the care of the Nation by Sixty percent of my constituents live great for politics and power,’’ says Asdru´ bal this administration? in Los Angeles County which, in total, Oliveros, a prominent Venezuelan economist. And then, they are planning a has about 5 percent—one county in the The opposition and the regional govern- healthcare bill that will see this young ments don’t know how to turn the tide. An country has about 5 percent—of this Organization of American States resolution lady lose her healthcare. country’s Medicaid recipients. The pro- this week urging Venezuela to return to de- In my district, 89,000 people will lose posed Senate bill cuts to Medicaid mocracy was supported by every major coun- their insurance when they cut $854 bil- would put more than a quarter of those try in the hemisphere but blocked by Ven- lion out of Medicaid; 16,000 will be chil- currently receiving Medicaid assist- ezuelan allies like Nicaragua and a handful dren. ance in L.A. County, nearly 900,000 peo- of statelets like St. Kitts and Nevis. Where will the hospitals survive if ple, at risk for losing health insurance. Many in Venezuela hope that parts of the they are closed in rural and urban This is not a healthcare bill. This is army haven’t been tempted by money and will want to honor the country’s democratic America, and where will the seniors be a tax cut for the wealthy, dressed up to past. Ibsen Martı´nez, who helped write some when their nursing home puts them out look like serious legislation. The rich of the country’s most beloved soap operas, because the Medicaid that has been for get richer, while everyone else is left to says that hope is likely in vain. working seniors but now retired in get poorer and sicker. ‘‘The army is now a criminal organiza- nursing homes who rely on Medicaid? This is not who we are as Americans. tion,’’ he said in an interview from Bogota´ , The TrumpCare bill in the Senate is f where he now lives in exile. ‘‘But in every a devastating bill. We need to have an culture, there are mythical creatures. In administration that takes care of the A BALANCED BUDGET AMEND- Venezuela, it is the idea of an institutional MENT TO THE CONSTITUTION military man, who will come out like Cap- American people. tain America to resolve everything.’’ That f (Mrs. MURPHY of Florida asked and instinct, he added, led to Mr. Cha´ vez in the was given permission to address the first place. RECOGNIZING THE 200TH ANNIVER- House for 1 minute.) His revolution’s mournful impact can be SARY OF THE UTICA OBSERVER- Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speak- seen everywhere. Venezuela’s national base- DISPATCH er, today, I will become the first House ball league now plays to empty stadiums and (Ms. TENNEY asked and was given Democrat in Congress to introduce a is considering suspending this year’s season. permission to address the House for 1 balanced budget amendment to the The Teresa Carren˜ o theater, an architectural masterpiece in Caracas, used to produce minute and to revise and extend her re- Constitution. My bill will prohibit the some of the region’s best operas and dramas; marks.) Federal Government from spending it now mostly hosts government rallies. In Ms. TENNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise more than it receives except in the the nearby Caracas Museum of Contem- today to recognize the 200th anniver- case of war or recession.

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