February 26, 2026
Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Kaine) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
Requesting information on Honduras’s human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
Section 1. Request for information on Honduras’s human rights practices
(a) Statement requested
The Senate requests that the Secretary of State, not later than 30 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(c)), a statement regarding Honduras’s human rights practices that has been prepared in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Department of State.
(b) Elements
The statement submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include—
(1)
all available credible information concerning alleged violations of internationally recognized human rights by the Government of the Republic of Honduras under former President Juan Orlando Hernández, including—
(A)
connections between high-level government officials and drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel;
(B)
corruption of government officials related to drug trafficking, including money laundering and bribery;
(C)
torture, rape, illegal detention, witness tampering, and murder in connection with drug cartels and drug trafficking; and
(D)
efforts to undermine police reforms and drug crime investigations;
(2)
a description of the steps the United States Government has taken—
(A)
to promote respect for and observance of human rights as part of the Government of Honduras’s activities;
(B)
to bring Honduran government officials to justice for their involvement in drug trafficking and related crimes;
(C)
to discourage any practices that are inimical to internationally recognized human rights; and
(D)
to publicly or privately call attention to, and disassociate the United States and any security assistance provided for the Republic of Honduras from, any practices described in subparagraphs (B) and (C); and
(3)
other information, including—
(A)
an assessment from the Secretary of State of the likelihood that United States security assistance (as defined in section 502B(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(d))) provided to the Republic of Honduras has been used in support of activities related to facilitating drug trafficking and its attendant crimes;
(B)
an assessment from the Secretary of State of former President Juan Orlando Hernández’s status post-conviction and any ongoing ties he maintains to drug cartels; and
(C)
a description of any actions that the United States Government is taking to ensure that the Government of the Republic of Honduras addresses corruption and human rights violations tied to drug trafficking.