Message to the Congress on Prohibiting Certain Additional Transactions With Respect to Venezuela

To the Congress of the United States:

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order with respect to Venezuela that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13692 of March 8, 2015, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13808 of August 24, 2017, and Executive Order 13827 of March 19, 2018.

The Executive Order I have issued today prohibits transactions related to, provision of financing for, and other dealings in (i) the purchase of any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela, including accounts receivable; (ii) any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela that is pledged as collateral after the effective date of the Executive Order, including accounts receivable; and (iii) the sale, transfer, assignment, or pledging as collateral by the Government of Venezuela of any equity interest in any entity in which the Government of Venezuela has a 50 percent or greater ownership interest.

I have authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including promulgating rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the Executive Order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued today.

DONALD J. TRUMP

The White House,

May 21, 2018.