WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement in response to testimony by Elliott Abrams, the U.S. envoy for Venezuela, in today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Venezuela.

Senator Rick Scott said, “I applaud the Administration for continuing to put strong sanctions on the Maduro regime. These sanctions are a huge step towards ending the regime by cutting off the flow of money to Maduro and his thugs. We need to keep this pressure up. People are dying and children are starving at the hands of the dictator and thug Maduro.

“Today, Elliott Abrams testified that the Administration is considering Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans. I strongly support this move. The United States cannot stand by while Maduro terrorizes his people. While I believe we need a long-term solution for the Temporary Protected Status program, I believe we should immediately extend TPS for Venezuelans who came to the United States to escape Maduro’s regime. Too much is at stake for this to get caught up in bureaucracy.”

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