# 119-s-37: VALOR Act of 2025 119-s-37, VALOR Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-37 - As of: 2025-12-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-37 - Congress: 119 - Title: VALOR Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-01-08 - Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID) - Cosponsors: 7 - Policy area: International Affairs - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2025-12-21 ## Summary **Targeted sanctions and conditional assistance tied to democratic benchmarks** push Venezuela toward free and fair elections while preserving tools to punish and deter the Maduro regime. - Venezuelan families: Authorizes humanitarian help — food, medicine, emergency energy, and reconstruction support — delivered through U.S. agencies and independent nongovernmental organizations. It requires a formal assistance plan within 90 days and annual reporting, with safeguards to prevent funds reaching the Maduro regime. - U.S. persons and businesses: Prohibits transactions in Venezuelan government debt and any Venezuelan digital currency and creates detailed licensing and foreign-person reporting requirements with a reporting cadence that can run up to 10 years. - International institutions and partners: Directs the Treasury to oppose seating Maduro regime representatives at the IMF and other institutions and to block nondemocratic Venezuelan participation in the Organization of American States until democratic criteria are met. It authorizes at least $5 million in voluntary U.S. contributions to an OAS emergency fund for observers and election support. - Oversight and conditionality: Sets statutory criteria for recognizing a democratically elected Venezuelan government, ties unilateral termination of these sanctions to a presidential determination, requires progress reports every 180 days for 3 years, and creates a limited Congressional disapproval process allowing one disapproval resolution per 180-day period. ## Cosponsors (7) - Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-02-04T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - U.S. plan for Venezuela aid: benefit, medium. If enacted, the President would deliver a detailed plan within 90 days for U.S. humanitarian, development, and economic aid to the Venezuelan people and NGOs. Aid could include food, medicine, emergency energy help, Export-Import Bank financing, Trade and Development Agency support, and Peace Corps… - Path to end sanctions and trade review: benefit, medium. If enacted, when the President certifies a democratically elected Venezuelan government, the President would move to terminate the Act's sanctions and immediately notify Congress. The President would then report every 180 days for 3 years on Venezuela's progress, and Congress could pass one joint r… - Import exception protects U.S. trade: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would say the Act's sanctions authorities do not include authority to impose sanctions on the importation of goods. The law would define "goods" to include physical articles, materials, supplies, and manufactured products, and would exclude technical data. This would protect im… - Tighter sanctions, blocking, and reports: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar U.S. persons and U.S. transactions from dealing in many Maduro-regime and PDVSA debt and equity instruments and in regime-issued digital currency beginning on enactment. It would give the President explicit emergency authority (IEEPA) to enforce these rules, allow pen… - Oppose Maduro at international institutions: mixed, low. If enacted, U.S. representatives would be required to oppose seating a nondemocratic Venezuelan government at the Organization of American States and at international financial institutions until a President certifies a democratic government. The bill would also direct the U.S. to provide not less… - Reports and pressure on Maduro partners: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary of State would report within 180 days naming foreign persons and companies that did significant business with the Maduro regime in mining, finance, energy, shipping, ports, and special zones. The bill would also direct the President to urge other countries to limit trade a… ## Related bills - 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 - 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act - 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 - 119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act - 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas. - 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona. ## Sources - [119-s-37 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/37) ## Related - [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071) - [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748) - [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241) - [119-s-1032: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1032) - [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913) - [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-37 (as of 2025-12-21).