Erika Alvarez

Harris County has the fourth largest Venezuelan population in the U.S., and a majority Latin American population. Our energy industry, with obvious ties to Venezuela, is a major part of our economy, jobs, and the stability of energy prices nationally. I know that folks in Harris County are watching President Trump’s actions regarding Venezuela this morning. Actions to help a people topple an illegitimate and ruinous dictator can be a good thing, and many are rightly celebrating the removal of the top leader of a truly terrible autocratic regime. Not only could this morning’s actions help improve the lives of Venezuelans, but on a numbers-and-cents basis, they could lead to better outcomes for our residents, our energy industry, and the nation. That said, Harris County residents and our industry only stand to gain from this morning’s actions if they lead to stability in Venezuela. That is not only obvious, but it is what I am hearing from community and industry leaders. A transition to democracy in Venezuela is our only hope for stability and for a true benefit to Americans and the American economy. A reconstitution of the Venezuelan oil industry is impossible without a reconstitution of the political system. And it is impossible for American forces to be that political system. As we have learned from intervening in other regions, only the legitimately elected Venezuelan leadership can engender a stable government and oil industry. The president and Congress have the opportunity and responsibility to leverage this moment to negotiate the exit of the entire Maduro regime and usher in a prompt transition to democracy. The logical answer is the installation of the internationally-recognized President-elect, Edmundo González Urrutia, along with the coalition around him, which is essentially led by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado. What is to come can look like democratic, prosperous, and valuable U.S. ally Panama, or it can look like tumultuous Libya or Iraq. The prosperity that comes from the arrest of Maduro can be a temporary sugar high, or it can be a long-term cause for celebration for Venezuelans, Harris County, and our nation. The outcome depends on whether or not there is a prompt and just transition to democracy. President Trump’s words so far on his plans to “take over” and “run Venezuela” indefinitely with “boots on the ground” do not bode well for U.S. interests or for Venezuela’s necessary future success. Neither do his threats to depose the duly elected presidents of Mexico and Colombia. As President Trump’s “takeover” proceeds, on behalf of community and economic interests in Harris County – the third largest county in the nation and home to a massive energy industry with national ramifications – I call for the President to usher in stability and success by ensuring a prompt democratic transition in Venezuela. And I call for Congress to reclaim its power and hold the President’s actions accountable, ensuring they bring about a prompt transition to the elected Venezuelan leadership and their winning coalition. This necessitates transparency and respect for the rule of law on the part of our federal leadership. I and my office remain in touch with industry leaders, diplomatic representatives, and federal partners as the situation unfolds.