Today, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green, while standing alongside Venezuelan lawmakers, human-rights activists, and the Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, announced $52 million in development assistance to help Venezuela's Interim President Juan Guaido, his government, and the Venezuelan people as they seek to restore citizen-responsive, democratic governance to their country. This money will go to programs that support the Venezuelan National Assembly, independent media, civil society, and restoration of the health sector.

This new funding for programs inside Venezuela is in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance the U.S. Government has already provided in response to the Venezuelan regional crisis, including vital support to vulnerable Venezuelans and the communities that host them in Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Perú, and elsewhere throughout the region. The rampant corruption, brutal repression, and vast political and economic mismanagement of the illegitimate Maduro regime has created the largest external displacement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

The United States fully supports the Interim Government of Juan Guaidó, the democratically elected National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people as they work to end the illegitimate Maduro regime. The people of Venezuela have suffered enough in these long years, and it is time for the country to enjoy peace, freedom, and prosperity under a democratically elected and citizen-responsive government. Today's announcement serves as another example of our commitment to help Venezuelans recover their country.