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Summary:
Under the populist rule of President Hugo Chávez, first elected in 1998 and most recently reelected to a six-year term in December 2006, Venezuela has undergone enormous political changes, with a new constitution and unicameral legislature, and even a new name for the country, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. U.S. officials and human rights organizations have expressed concerns about the deterioration of democratic institutions and threats to freedom of expression under President Chávez, who has survived several attempts to oust him from power. The government has benefitted from the rise in world oil prices, which has sparked an economic boom and allowed Chávez to increase expenditures on social programs associated with his populist agenda. Since he was reelected, President Chávez has announced new measures to move the country toward socialism. Chávez's closure of a popular Venezuelan television station (RCTV) that was critical of the government in late May 2007 sparked student-led protests and international condemnation. In August 2007, President Chávez announced a series of proposed constitutional changes that many observers believe is an attempt to further concentrate power. The United States traditionally has had close relations with Venezuela, the fourth major supplier of foreign oil to the United States, but there has been friction in relations with the Chávez government. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about President Chávez's military arms purchases, his relations with such countries as Cuba and Iran, his efforts to export his brand of populism to other Latin American countries, and concerns about the state of democracy. Declining cooperation on antidrug and anti-terrorism efforts has also been a U.S. concern. In 2005 and 2006, President Bush designated Venezuela as a country that has failed demonstrably to adhere to its obligations under international narcotics agreements, and in 2006, the Department of State prohibited the sale of defense articles and services to Venezuela because of its lack of cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts. Congressional concerns regarding Venezuela focus on human rights, energy issues, and the overall status of bilateral relations and U.S. policy. On May 24, 2007, the Senate approved S.Res. 211, expressing profound concerns regarding freedom of expression and Venezuela's decision not to renew the license of RCTV. On June 22, 2007, the House approved H.R. 2764, the FY2008 State Department and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, with a provision that would direct $10 million of international broadcasting operations funding for targeted broadcasting to Venezuela. Additional legislative initiatives in the House include two human rights resolutions, H.Con.Res. 50 and H.Con.Res. 77; H.Res. 435, which would express concern about the relationships between the leaders of Iran and Western Hemisphere countries such as Venezuela; and H.Res. 560, which would express concern about Venezuela's recent actions in the oil sector. Two Senate bills, S. 193, the Energy Diplomacy and Security Act of 2007, and S. 1007, the United States-Brazil Energy Cooperation Pact of 2007, would increase hemispheric cooperation on energy issues. For additional information on Venezuela, see CRS Report RL33693, Latin America: Energy Supply, Political Developments, and U.S. Policy Approaches.
