U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced Tuesday the Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act, a new bill aimed at cutting off financial ties between the U.S. federal government and any entity that does business with Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.
The legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), would prohibit federal agencies from awarding contracts to companies engaged with the Maduro regime, which Scott and other lawmakers labeled as “illegitimate” and “oppressive.”
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“Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate, murderous dictator who oppresses the people of Venezuela, deprives them of freedoms, and steals elections from the rightful president, Edmundo González, and leader María Corina Machado,” Sen. Scott said in a statement. “We must keep up the pressure on the regime to finally get Maduro out of power and bring freedom to the Venezuelan people.”
The bill comes as part of a broader campaign under the Trump administration to reverse what Republicans have criticized as former President Joe Biden’s “appeasement” policies toward Maduro. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have already moved to reinstate sanctions and curtail oil and resource deals with Venezuela in recent months.
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Key Provisions of the BOLIVAR Act:
- Prohibits federal agencies from awarding contracts to companies that conduct business with the Maduro regime.
- Applies to new contracts signed after the bill’s enactment.
- Allows exceptions for humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts.
- Grants the Secretary of State authority to waive restrictions in the national interest.
Senator Marsha Blackburn emphasized the bill’s alignment with U.S. values. “The Maduro regime is a fraudulent and oppressive dictatorship, and U.S. business dealings with Venezuela should not lend legitimacy to this government, which contradicts our democratic values,” she said.
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Senator Ted Cruz also underscored the bill’s national security angle. “Maduro is a tyrant and despot, and his regime poses acute risks to American national security and to the freedoms of the people of Venezuela,” Cruz said. “It is squarely in the interests of the United States to limit those contracts and hold those companies accountable.”
As Florida’s former governor, Scott enacted a similar measure at the state level to block government contracts with Maduro-linked firms. Now, with federal support from fellow Republicans and backing from the Trump administration, Scott is aiming to turn that effort into national policy.
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