Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today introduced legislation to impose targeted sanctions against the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship and hold it accountable for its crimes against the Catholic Church, the clergy, and the people of Nicaragua.

             “Our bill outlines serious economic penalties that can be leveraged to hold the corrupt Nicaraguan government to account and bring swift justice and relief to the people of Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan people—including people of faith, opposition party members and leaders, and other political prisoners—have suffered for far too long under the oppressive rule of the Ortega-Murillo regime,” said Smith, who authored the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (PL 114-281) and has chaired four congressional hearings on the political crisis in Nicaragua.

             “Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo are ruthless dictators who have hijacked Nicaragua and terrorized their own people,” said Rep. María Elvira Salazar. “They jail political opponents, silence the Church, crush free speech, and destroy democracy, because they fear a free people.

             “Their human rights abuses are undeniable and intolerable. That is why I am proud to co-sponsor the Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act, to impose real consequences, stand with Nicaragua’s political prisoners and people of faith, and send a clear message: the United States will never legitimize tyranny in our hemisphere,” she continued.

             “By banning U.S. investment in Nicaragua’s economy, opposing other financial streams and support, and implementing targeted sanctions, this critical legislation puts Nicaragua on watch. We are turning up the international pressure on the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship to do right by the Nicaraguan people—to embrace free and fair elections and reject political repression,” noted Smith.

             The Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act of 2026 (HR 7055) reauthorizes and amends the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2018 and the Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act of 2021 by expanding the criteria for sanctions, strengthening economic penalties, prohibiting U.S. financial assistance to and investment in Nicaragua, and reinforcing the importance of human rights protections and free and fair elections in the country.

             Among its provisions, the Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act of 2026 will compel the U.S. government to:

• Immediately cease any U.S. investment in the Nicaraguan economy;
• Oppose financial or technical assistance to the government of Nicaragua from members of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI);
• Trigger targeted sanctions on sectors of the Nicaraguan economy that generate revenue for the Ortega family following the arrest, prosecution, conviction, and/or sentencing of any individual under politically motivated charges; gross violations of political prisoners’ human rights; and support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine;
• Raise international concerns about the human rights and democracy crises in Nicaragua and support the religious and opposition leaders and groups silenced by the Ortega-Murillo regime;
• Provide funding and support for programs that promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Nicaragua, including programs that document human rights abuses committed by the Ortega regime since April 2018; and
• Seek a resolution to the political crisis in Nicaragua by calling for free and fair elections and the cessation of political violence in the country.

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