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Protecting Taxpayers from Risky Investments in Venezuela Act
To prohibit the United States Government from funding Venezuela's oil and petroleum infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill prohibits the federal government from using any appropriated funds to support Venezuela's oil and petroleum infrastructure. The prohibition covers construction, maintenance, and expansion of oil and gas facilities, purchase of Venezuelan property, insurance and loan guarantees, tax incentives, royalty relief, payments to corporations or individuals, and U.S. government advocacy for Venezuela's oil sector at international institutions. Congress retains the authority to explicitly authorize expenditures for these purposes after the bill's enactment. The Secretary of State must submit an annual report to Congress describing any related expenditures and certifying the government's compliance with the prohibition.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
6 cosponsors
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA)
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT)
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT)
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
Actions (2)
- Jan 13, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. · senate
- Jan 13, 2026 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 13, 2026
Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Alsobrooks, and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
A BILL
To prohibit the United States Government from funding Venezuela’s oil and petroleum infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Taxpayers from Risky Investments in Venezuela Act”.
SEC. 2. DEFINED TERM.
In this Act, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on the Budget of the Senate;
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;
(5) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(6) the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT VENEZUELA’S OIL AND PETROLEUM INFRASTRUCTURE.
(a) Prohibition.—Except as provided in subsection (b), none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available for any department or agency of the United States Government or for any account owned, controlled, or accessible by the United States, or a person acting on behalf of the United States, may be used to finance, subsidize, insure, guarantee, contract for, or otherwise support the development, maintenance, or expansion of oil infrastructure or the petroleum sector in Venezuela, including—
(1) the construction, installation, manufacture, development, modernization, repair, or permanent improvement of any oil or gas infrastructure in Venezuela;
(2) the purchase of real property, including a reimbursement for any such purchase;
(3) insurance costs, loan guarantees, tax incentives, and royalty relief;
(4) any payments made to individuals or domestic, international, or multinational corporations; and
(5) any form of advocacy, promotion, or support provided by officers or employees of the United States Government for the benefit of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure or petroleum sector, including at international financial institutions, multilateral organizations, or diplomatic forums.
(b) Exception.—The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply to any expenditure explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that—
(1) describes any expenditures or activities related to Venezuela’s oil infrastructure or petroleum sector; and
(2) certifies compliance with this Act. <all>
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