Venezuela: Issues in the 111th Congress
"The United States traditionally has had close relations with Venezuela, a major supplier of foreign oil, but there has been friction in relations for almost a decade under the government of populist President Hugo Chávez. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about human rights, Venezuela’s military arms purchases, its relations with Cuba and Iran, and its efforts to export its brand of populism to other Latin American countries. Declining cooperation on anti-drug and antiterrorism efforts has also been a concern. In September 2008, bilateral relations worsened when President Chávez expelled the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, and the United States responded in kind. Under the Obama Administration, Venezuela and the United States reached an agreement
for the return of respective ambassadors in July 2009. While some observers were hopeful that
the return of ambassadors would mark an improvement in relations, this has not been the case.
The United States has continued to express concerns about the Venezuelan government’s
treatment of the news media and political opposition and about interference in the affairs
of other countries in the region.

Under the rule of President Chávez, first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a six-year term in
December 2006, Venezuela has undergone enormous political changes, with a new constitution
and unicameral legislature, and a new name for the country, the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela. Human rights organizations have expressed concerns about the deterioration of
democratic institutions and threats to freedom of expression under President Chávez. The
government benefitted from the rise in world oil prices, which sparked an economic boom and
allowed Chávez to increase expenditures on social programs associated with his populist agenda.
These programs have helped reduce poverty levels significantly, but the Venezuelan economy has
been hit hard by the global financial crisis and economic downturn..."