A resolution reaffirming the policy of the United States to support a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela through free and fair elections.

Venezuela's presidential election was held on July 28, 2024, and the U.S. State Department concluded that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, not Nicolas Maduro, won that vote. Maria Corina Machado, who won the opposition's 2023 primary, had been barred from running under a 15-year ban upheld by Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice. Following Maduro's capture during "Operation Absolute Resolve" on January 3, 2026, Delcy Rodriguez became interim president, though the resolution notes she holds no electoral mandate and has not taken meaningful steps toward new elections.

The resolution formally states the Senate's position: it reaffirms U.S. support for a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela through free and fair elections; urges Venezuela's interim authorities to move immediately toward such elections; and calls for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, including those detained over the 2024 election. It also declares that any harm — detention, assault, disappearance, or death — suffered by anyone seeking public office, including Machado, would be presumed to have senior-official backing and would require U.S. accountability measures against those responsible.

This measure affects U.S.-Venezuela relations and signals Senate expectations to Venezuela's interim government, opposition figures, and the executive branch's foreign policy approach. As a resolution, it expresses Senate sentiment rather than creating binding law. It was introduced August 4, 2026, by Senator Ted Cruz with bipartisan co-sponsors and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where it awaits further committee action before any floor vote.

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