Why It Matters

A recent CRS report published Aug. 13 examines the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela’s political transition following the U.S. capture and arrest of Nicolás Maduro. The administration backed former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president rather than Edmundo González Urrutia, whom the State Department had described as the rightful winner of the 2024 presidential election, or opposition leader María Corina Machado. It has also backed a dialogue process led by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez and Dinorah Figuera, head of the democratically elected 2015 National Assembly.

The Trump administration initially focused on stabilizing Venezuela’s security and economy while outlining a three-stage plan of stabilization, economic recovery and political reconciliation, with the ultimate goal of achieving a democratic transition of power. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified on June 2 that Venezuela was on a “much better trajectory” than under Maduro but said more work was necessary to create conditions for free and fair elections.

Those efforts were complicated by two massive earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24. Venezuelan authorities had confirmed more than 6,100 deaths and 18,000 displaced people by early August, while U.N. agencies estimated that rebuilding basic infrastructure could cost more than $37 billion. The United States had committed more than $386 million in humanitarian assistance and other support as of July 8, and about 2,000 U.S. military personnel participated in search-and-rescue operations, aid delivery and infrastructure repairs.

Congress appropriated $50 million for democracy programs in Venezuela for fiscal 2026 despite the administration requesting no such funding. The House-passed fiscal 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations bill, H.R. 8595, would provide another $50 million.

The Big Picture

The administration’s engagement with Rodríguez has extended beyond political cooperation. Rodríguez was subject to U.S. sanctions when she assumed power, but the Treasury Department removed those sanctions April 1. The administration also reached an energy arrangement with her government that allows the United States to work with trading companies to market and sell Venezuelan oil and place the proceeds in U.S.-controlled accounts. Executive Order 14373 protects certain Venezuelan oil revenues held in U.S. Treasury accounts.

A State Department official testified in April that $3 billion had flowed through U.S.-controlled accounts and that KPMG had been hired to conduct quarterly audits. By July, however, a senior State Department official described KPMG as “monitoring” U.S. funds disbursed to Venezuela and no longer characterized its work as a formal audit.

Questions remain about Venezuela’s democratic transition and human rights record. The acting government approved an amnesty law that enabled the release of more than 800 political prisoners between January and May, but Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal reported that about 382 political prisoners remained incarcerated as of Aug. 3. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in March that structures that had sustained political persecution had not been dismantled. Laws restricting press freedom and the financing and operations of nongovernmental organizations also remain in force.

Several Maduro-era officials also remain in positions of power. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello remains in office despite U.S. sanctions and an indictment tied to the Cartel of the Suns. Rodríguez replaced former Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López with Gen. Gustavo González López, a former military intelligence chief accused of grave human rights abuses who is also subject to U.S. sanctions. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation in 2021 into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela since at least 2017, although Rodríguez subsequently moved to withdraw Venezuela from the court.

The administration has increasingly focused on negotiations between the acting government and the opposition. The first round of talks between Jorge Rodríguez and Figuera took place in Caracas from Aug. 6 to Aug. 12. The parties reportedly agreed on a process for judicial reform and to work together to seek the release of Venezuelan assets held at the Bank of England for earthquake recovery. Machado and González Urrutia are not participating, though they have said they would not stand in the way of the talks.

The Bottom Line

Congress has several options for shaping the U.S. approach to Venezuela as the administration balances stability, economic interests and a potential democratic transition. The House-passed fiscal 2027 appropriations bill would require the secretary of state to report within 30 days of enactment on a strategy for advancing a democratic transition, including benchmarks and timelines. It would also require a report on Venezuelan oil and natural resource revenues held by the U.S. government to ensure the money benefits Venezuelans and has not been diverted.

The bill would also prohibit funds it provides from being used to negotiate, allow or facilitate lifting sanctions on Venezuela unless the secretary of state certifies that free and fair elections have occurred. Other proposals would require a comprehensive U.S. democratic transition strategy, updates to the State Department’s 2020 Democratic Transition Framework and additional congressional oversight of U.S.-Venezuela economic agreements.

The administration has secured cooperation from the acting government on oil, the release of some political prisoners and security operations, including a U.S.-led operation that CRS says killed a leader of Tren de Aragua, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. Whether that cooperation ultimately produces free and fair elections remains unresolved.

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