This week, retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., one of the leading Republicans on Capitol Hill on foreign policy, scored a win as the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed her “Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act” (NICA) without opposition.
The bill, which Ros-Lehtinen and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-NJ, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, brought out last year cut off “loans at international financial institutions for the government of Nicaragua, other than to address basic human needs or promote democracy, unless the government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free, fair, and transparent elections, and for other purpose.” The House passed the bill without opposition in October 2017.
Ros-Lehtinen and Sires teamed up in 2016 to draft similar legislation. While their proposal passed the House in September 2016, it withered in the Senate. Back in April 2017, Ros-Lehtinen and Sires reintroduced the bill.
In October, Ros-Lehtinen took to the House floor to make the case for her proposal.
“Our bill is aimed at leveraging America’s influence and conditioning our vote at any of the international financial institutions for Nicaragua until the leadership in that country takes significant steps to restore democratic order,” she said. “And what are some of those conditions: promote democracy, as well as an independent judicial system and electoral council; strengthen the rule of law; combat corruption, including investigating and prosecuting government officials that are credibly alleged to be corrupt; and protection of the right of political opposition parties, journalists, trade unionists, human rights defenders, and other civil society activists to operate without interference. These conditions are similar to what this Congress has already passed for the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
“This bill is intended to help the people of Nicaragua,” she added. “This bill has safeguards in place to ensure that humanitarian assistance continues to be provided to address basic human needs. Some of those basic needs, such as free and fair elections, are not being met today due to the failed leadership in Nicaragua. Reports have surfaced that the Nicaraguan electoral council is giving away identity cards so that minors can be allowed to vote; Nicaraguans who are not on the electoral rolls will be allowed to vote. So what does that mean? It means there will be no way to determine if the individual voted more than once, and that is exactly how the status quo wants it so that it can manipulate the results of the elections. We are also seeing civil society leaders publicly expressing their concern regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the country and, as a result of speaking out against the government, have been targeted for persecution. Indigenous communities have also expressed their concern regarding land grabs by the government; and violence is breaking out as the Nicaraguan military is being dispatched to squash the peaceful protests by these communities.”
Ros-Lehtinen took aim at the Ortega regime and insisted his government continues to pose security threats to the U.S.
“The Russians have set up operations in Managua that poses a threat to U.S. national security interests,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “Nicaragua continues to offer its unconditional support to Nicolas Maduro and his dictatorial regime in Venezuela. And according to Congressional testimony, Venezuela’s PDVSA is also using its subsidiary in Nicaragua, ALBANISA, to launder money Mr. Speaker, if Venezuela’s Maduro is using Nicaragua in order to evade U.S. sanctions, we need to take a closer look at these ties, and hold people accountable. And that is what this bill does Mr. Speaker – it holds the Nicaraguan government accountable just like we have done with other countries in Central America, so that it can truly help the people.”
Much of the Florida delegation lined up behind the proposal with Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Carlos Curbelo, Ron DeSantis, Mario Diaz-Balart, Francis Rooney, Tom Rooney, Ted Yoho and Democrats U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson co-sponsoring the proposal.
The Nicaraguan regime fired back after the bill passed the House. "We consider this bill a violation of Nicaragua's sovereignty, and a denial of all political, social, cultural and economic processes in our homeland," Rosario Murillo, the vice president and first lady of Nicaragua, told Al Dia last October.
Over in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, is the sponsor while U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is a cosponsor.
“I am very pleased that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has taken decisive action to pass my NICA Act and the sanctions proposed by my colleague Bob,” Ros-Lehtinen said on Wednesday after the committee vote.” As I’ve said before, the United States will not stand idly-by as Ortega continues to intensify the repression, incarcerating and killing innocent people every day. Since this crisis began five months ago, the State Department has canceled visas for dozens of the regime’s associates, and the Treasury Department has also imposed strong sanctions against several officials in Ortega’s inner circle. However, my work and the work of those who love freedom and democracy does not end here.
“We must continue working together to ensure that these two bills are not only signed into law, but are implemented quickly and effectively. It is important to continue pressuring the administration to sanction more individuals, including the Ortega Murillos, under the Global Magnitsky Act. We must also remain vigilant of efforts by Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, China and Iran that continue to help Ortega with military equipment, surveillance, and other technology support, to oppress the people and keep Ortega in power. The United States will not hesitate to take appropriate action against any nation or person that commits these heinous acts,” she added.
