Florida Sen. Marco Rubio foreshadowed the devastating state Venezuela will enter in a few days at a Foreign Relations subcommittee meeting on Mar. 7. He described the state as “a period of suffering no nation in our hemisphere has confronted in modern history,” according to the Washington Examiner.
Rubio said that while the Venezuela leaders are overweight, the people of Venezuela are on average losing 24 pounds in a year, according to the Washington Examiner. Venezuela’s Socialist Dictator, Nicolás Maduro, is fueling the humanitarian crisis, now leaving the country days away from a total depletion of wheat, cornmeal, and cooking oil—even blocking aid from the United States and other countries, said Rubio.
The power outage and the devastation hurting ordinary Venezuelans is not because of the USA. It’s not because of Colombia. It’s not Ecuador or Brazil, Europe or anywhere else. Power shortages and starvation are the result of the Maduro regime’s incompetence.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 8, 2019
“I assure you, none of the Maduro regime cronies are going to go hungry but millions of Venezuelans are going to continue to go hungry and [it will be] exacerbated in a way we have not seen,” Rubio said.
Maduro’s regime blocked delivery of food and medicine on Feb. 24, clashing with protesters and resulting in two deaths and 300 people injured, reported Washington Examiner. The food shortage prompted a mass migration of Venezuelans to other countries. This has led to a refugee crisis in neighboring Brazil and Colombia, which have now allied with the United States to support the interim government of Juan Guaidó as it works to expell Maduro from power.
Reports that #MaduroRegime has blocked the main highway connecting #Caracas to the airport in an effort to keep diplomats & supporters from greeting @jguaido when he arrives today.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 4, 2019
#BREAKING: Protesters block the Francisco Fajardo highway on the convoy of #Venezuela National Guard which was on its way to Santa Monica, #Caracas to suppress the anti-#Maduro protesters in Victoria Avenue.#9Mar pic.twitter.com/hhWu9Ni70l
— Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) March 9, 2019
False Claims About US Sanctions and Aid
Russia, an ally of the Maduro regime, accused the United States of using the humanitarian aid as a cover for a violent coup, reported Washington Examiner but this has been outrightly denied by the Trump Administration.
Opposition freedom fighter @MariaCorinaYA says the #VenezuelaBlackout leaving her country in the dark for more than 24 hours now is a DIRECT result of socialism and the #Maduro regime. #TrishRegan pic.twitter.com/ullzbKwDxp
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) March 9, 2019
“It certainly is not desirable, and it is not the path that this administration is taking,” United States Special Representative for Venezuela Elliot Abrams said, according to Washington Examiner. Regional officials also said that neither are its partners planning to stage a violent overthrow of the regime. Maduro has accepted aid from Russia, while distributing its goods only to those who are loyal to the regime.
#Venezuela is running out of fuel & food & the #MaduroRegime will claim it is due to U.S. sanctions.
The truth is this crisis has nothing to do with “sanctions”.
It is the result of the #MaduroCrimeFamily theft to finance their lavish lifestyles.https://t.co/MksAzf1w4F
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 7, 2019
“If you go to a Maduro rally, you get food,” Rubio said, according to the Washington Examiner. “If you vote for Maduro—and they know how you voted—you get food. If you don’t vote or don’t vote for him, you don’t get food. They have used it as a weapon. This is why he objects to the humanitarian aid.”
Russian diplomats have blamed sanctions levied by Barack Obama and President trump for the collapse of Venezuela’s oil-rich economy, according to Washington Examiner. However, Rubio deflected the accusation, saying that only individual members of the regime have been targeted by the sanctions.
Roderick Navarro, of @Rumbo_Libertad, explains the growing conservative movement in #Venezuela and how a new generation hungers for #freedom after becoming disillusioned with #socialism.
Watch full American Thought Leaders ???????? with @JanJekielek: https://t.co/OGieK4e65t pic.twitter.com/z6KJqQUl2h
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) March 7, 2019
“This has been going on for years because they’ve stolen the money—they steal all of the money,” Rubio, said, according to the Washington Examiner. “As of today, Venezuela has about six, seven days left of fuel supplies. This in the most oil-rich country in the world … this is because they have destroyed the domestic production capacity.”
.@VP @Mike_Pence announced the @StateDept is revoking #visas from 77 individuals tied to #Venezuela’s #Socialist dictator, #NicolasMaduro:
“We will continue to hold the Maduro regime accountable until ‘libertad’ is restored in Venezuela.” https://t.co/KmfjANzWwr
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) March 7, 2019