That the Senate— (1) calls on the Government of Venezuela to postpone the presidential election and any concurrent National Assembly, state legislative council, or municipal council elections scheduled for April 22, 2018, until— (A) international and local election observers from credible organizations are allowed to observe the electoral process, including the pre-election period, and determine a legitimate process; (B) the National Electoral Council is led and staffed by nonpartisan members that have the confidence of contesting parties; (C) opposition parties and candidates are free to peacefully compete in the election without threat of arrest, harassment, or retribution, including access to government controlled media; (D) arrangements are made for all Venezuelan voters, including those residing outside of Venezuela, to be able to participate in the election; and (E) there is no implied or direct link between an individual’s vote and the government food rations to which the individual is eligible and no record is retained of a voter’s choice for any reason related to government benefits, including retaliation; (2) denounces as illegitimate any presidential election in Venezuela that fails to meet the standards described in paragraph (1); (3) condemns the steps taken by President Maduro— (A) to consolidate an authoritarian government in Venezuela; and (B) to undermine the independence of democratic institutions such as the National Assembly of Venezuela, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela, and the National Electoral Council of Venezuela; (4) rejects the Venezuelan Government’s efforts to blame the country’s economic, humanitarian, and political crisis on other actors instead of recognizing that the crisis was caused by its own malfeasance and criminality; (5) urges the Government of Venezuela— (A) to permit the unobstructed delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela; and (B) to stop using food as a tool of political coercion