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Saturday 2 March 2019

U.S. hits Venezuela officials with sanctions for blocking aid

By MATTHEW LEE closing Venezuela's bor- Integral Defense Region
Associated Press ders with Brazil and Colom- Guayana; Alberto Mirtiliano
WASHINGTON (AP) — The bia to prevent the entry of Bermudez, the general in
Trump administration im- assistance from countries charge of Venezuela's Inte-
posed sanctions Friday on opposed to Maduro's con- gral Defense Zone in Bolivar
six high-ranking members tinued rule. State, which borders Brazil;
of the Venezuelan security Maduro's forces fired tear Jose Leonardo Noronom,
forces and revoked the vi- gas and buckshot at activ- the general in charge of
sas of other officials and ists trying to deliver humani- Venezuela's Integral De-
their relatives in the latest tarian aid in violent clashes fense Zone in Tachira State,
effort to pressure President on Feb. 23, leaving two which borders Colombia;
Nicolas Maduro into leav- people dead and about Jose Miguel Dominguez, a
ing office. 300 injured. national police command-
The sanctions are in re- Friday's action targets six er in Tachira; and Cristhiam
sponse to the blocking of The United States special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams security officials "who con- Abelardo Morales, another
humanitarian aid convoys looks over the room before the start of a Security Council meet- trol many of the groups commander in Tachira.
last week while the visa ing at U.N. headquarters, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. that prevented humani- The men are part of secu-
revocations on dozens of Associated Press tarian aid from entering rity forces that have re-
individuals are intended Venezuela, thereby exac- mained loyal to Maduro
to punish people who prosperity of millions of to deportation if they are erbating the humanitarian and are essential to his hold
have flourished amid the Venezuelans." in the country. It placed an crisis that has left millions of on power in the once-pros-
South American country's The measures were the lat- unspecified number of oth- Venezuelans starving and perous country.
dire economic crisis, Elliott est by the Trump administra- ers on a visa restriction list. without access to medical Guaido had announced
Abrams, the special rep- tion to increase the interna- The U.S. already has travel care under the Maduro that last weekend's at-
resentative for Venezuela, tional pressure on Maduro, bans on other high-ranking regime," Treasury said in a tempt to deliver U.S.-sup-
told reporters. whose re-election last year Venezuelan officials con- statement. plied humanitarian aid from
"Maduro supporters that is seen as illegitimate, to re- nected to Maduro who are The sanctions block any as- Colombia into Venezuela
abuse or violate human sign and turn power over to accused of committing hu- sets they have in U.S. juris- would be politically deci-
rights, steal from the Ven- the opposition leader Juan man rights abuses or cor- dictions and bar Americans sive, but Maduro called
ezuelan people or under- Guaido, who has been rec- ruption. from conducting financial the aid part of a scheme to
mine Venezuela's democ- ognized by the U.S. and 50 Separately, the Treasury transactions with them. overthrow his government.
racy are not welcome in other government as inter- Department imposed fi- Those targeted are Rich- Maduro has denounced
the United States," Abrams im president. nancial sanctions on six ard Jesus Lopez, the com- his opponents as killers and
said. "Neither are their fam- The State Department later officials from the National mander of Venezuela's Na- criminals in fiery speeches
ily members who enjoy a said that the U.S. had re- Guard and police who are tional Guard; Jesus Maria reminiscent of the style of
privileged lifestyle at the voked the visas of 49 peo- allied with Maduro. These Mantilla, the commander his predecessor and men-
expense of the liberty and ple, making them subject officials played a role in of Venezuela's Strategic tor, Hugo Chavez.q

House Democrats won't

restore 'earmarks'

for back-home projects
that Republicans banned
eight years ago.
House Appropriations
Committee Chairwoman
Nita Lowey — who wants
to restore the practice —
announced the decision in
a letter to her colleagues,
saying there isn't a "biparti-
san, bicameral agreement"
to bring earmarks back.
Earmarks used to include
grants for community de-
velopment projects, roads,
university grants, and help
In this Feb. 11, 2019, photo, House Appropriations Committee for home-district military
Chair Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters as she arrives for contractors, among oth-
a closed-door meeting at the Capitol as bipartisan House and ers. But critics thought too
Senate bargainers trying to negotiate a border security com-
promise in hope of avoiding another government shutdown on many projects went to a
Capitol Hill in Washington. handful of powerful law-
Associated Press makers and fostered a "pay
to play" culture in which
By ANDREW TAYLOR House have announced campaign contributions
Associated Press that they won't restore the were often solicited from
WASHINGTON (AP) — much-criticized practice of lobbyists and others who
Democrats controlling the "earmarking" federal funds sought earmarks.q