U.S. Senator introduces legislation to strengthen cooperation with Guyana, deter Venezuelan aggression 

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation to strengthen U.S. security cooperation with Guyana and deter Venezuelan aggression against the country.

“As Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro continues to threaten Guyana, the United States must work with Guyana to deter such aggression,” said Bennet. “This bill will force the Pentagon to evaluate current cooperation and determine where improvements can be made.”

Bennet’s legislation would require the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the state of current security cooperation between the United States and Guyana and whether additional U.S. assistance is necessary to deter a potential Venezuelan attack on Guyana.

Since taking office in 2013, Maduro has ramped up threats against Guyana, claiming the country’s Essequibo region as part of Venezuela despite international law affirming the region’s status as part of Guyana. Maduro’s regime has flown Venezuelan Air Force Jets over Guyanese territory and threatened oil facilities in Guyana’s internationally-recognized maritime territory, among other malicious actions.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations have bolstered security cooperation with Guyana and promised to impose costs on Venezuela if Caracas attacks Guyana. This bill would augment these bipartisan efforts.

Guyana is a key partner in advancing regional security, democracy, and stability, and a burgeoning oil exporter that supplies crude to Europe – helping the continent reduce its reliance on Russian crude amid Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.

In January 2025, Bennet and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Venezuela Advancing Liberty, Opportunity, and Rights (VALOR) Act – after Maduro falsely claimed victory in 2024 elections and took office despite the Venezuelan people voting for Edmundo González Urrutia – to guide U.S. policy in support of a transition to democratic order in Venezuela. Bennet and Risch first introduced the VALOR Act in 2024 following Maduro’s sham July 2024 presidential election.

Bennet and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) also lead the Americas Act, the only major strategic economic plan to counter China’s geopolitical and economic influence in the Western Hemisphere. In February 2025, Bennet (D-Colo.) joined U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to introduce the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension (HELP) Act, which would extend trade benefits for apparel products produced in Haiti from 2025 to 2035.

Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-sponsored this bill (Press release from the Office of Michael Bennet)