{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-demands-state-department-report-on-human-rights-abuses-in-venezuela/", "Cortez Masto Demands\u00a0State Department Report on Human Rights Abuses in Venezuela", "2026-08-10", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "NV", "Catherine Cortez Masto", "C001113", "www.cortezmasto.senate.gov", "cortezmasto", "https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto joined Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding the U.S. Department of State share an assessment detailing Venezuela\u2019s human rights violations under Acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez. The letter also calls for the State Department to commit to preventing additional human rights abuses in Venezuela.\n\n\u201cThe Trump administration\u2019s increased support of the same officials who contributed to the Venezuelan government\u2019s lengthy and well-documented record of human rights abuses and violations is alarming, and we urge the State Department to re-commit to its long-standing practice of calling attention to human rights violations committed by the Venezuelan regime and exerting pressure on regime officials to end these abuses,\u201d wrote the Senators.\n\nThe Senators are seeking a record of the United States\u2019 actions to address human rights abuses in Venezuela to ensure no American foreign aid funding, including security or economic assistance, contributes to the human rights violations committed by the country\u2019s regime.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, the United States has stood by Rodr\u00edguez after her regime ignored its constitutional requirement to hold a presidential election within thirty days of the expiration of her 90-day temporary role as acting president in early April. Administration officials have also reportedly assisted the regime\u2019s efforts to obstruct opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado\u2019s return to Venezuela, despite previously recognizing her party\u2019s 2024 electoral victory. The United States\u2019 continued support for Rodr\u00edguez despite her extra-constitutional hold on power is an implicit endorsement of her regime\u2019s violation of Venezuelans\u2019 political rights,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\n\u201cCongress will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of the Administration\u2019s efforts to support the Rodriguez regime. Should the State Department refuse to address the Venezuelan government\u2019s human rights violations by the time the immediate earthquake recovery efforts conclude, we will consider using all available tools to require such a report, including Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act,\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nRead the full letter here. Additional signatories include Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).\n\nSenator Cortez Masto remains committed to making sure that American foreign policy protects our national security while upholding human rights around the world. The Senator introduced legislation which would require the Trump Administration to produce a report detailing Honduras\u2019s human rights violations under former President Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez, who President Trump gave a \u201cfull and complete pardon\u201d in December of 2025. Following reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to target American military forces, Cortez Masto passed her bipartisan HONOR Act in the Senate to prevent businesses from claiming a foreign tax credit or deduction against taxes paid to fund the Russian government\u2019s war machine. She joined a letter requesting the Department of Defense provide answers to the American people on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran and civilian casualties in the Trump Administration\u2019s war on Iran, as well as accountability for those responsible.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-11T05:54:29Z", "2026-08-11T05:56:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-demands-state-department-report-on-human-rights-abuses-in-venezuela/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8839238435029984, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}