PDVSA 2022 bonds from the Central Bank of Venezuela during the 2017 Venezuelan protests, when the country was suffering from malnutrition and hyperinflation. In its original statement, Goldman stated that “We recognize that the situation is complex and evolving and that Venezuela is in crisis. We agree that life there has to get better, and we made the investment in part because we believe it will.”. Venezuelan politicians and protesters in New York opposed to Maduro accused the bank of being of complicit of human rights abuses under the government and declared that the operation would fuel hunger in Venezuela by depriving the government of foreign exchange to import food, leading the securities to be dubbed “hunger bonds.” The opposition-led National Assembly voted to ask the U.S. Congress to investigate the deal, which they called "immoral, opaque, and hypocritical given the socialist government’s anti-Wall Street rhetoric". In a public letter to the bank’s chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, the National Assembly president Julio Borges said that “Goldman Sachs’s financial lifeline to the regime will serve to strengthen the brutal repression unleashed against the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans peacefully protesting for political change in the country." Sheila Patel, CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s international division, said in an interview that the incident "turned into a teachable moment within the firm" and "helped sharpen its focus on investing with an eye toward environmental, social and governance policies". Work culture In 2021, Goldman faced scrutiny after a group of first year bankers told managers that they are working 100 hours a week with 5 hours sleep at night. They also said that they have been constantly experiencing workplace abuse that has seriously affected their mental health. In May 2022, Goldman Sachs announced that they would be implementing a more flexible vacation policy to help their employees 'rest and recharge' where they give senior bankers unlimited vacation days, and all employees are expected to have a minimum of 15 days vacation every year. Political contributions Goldman Sachs employees have donated to both major American political parties, as well as candidates and super PACs belonging to both parties. According to OpenSecrets, Goldman Sachs and its employees collectively gave $4.7 million in the 2014 elections to various candidates, leadership PACs, political parties, 527 groups, and outside spending entities. In 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued regulations that limit asset managers' donations to state and