Two weeks after US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, the Trump administration is moving aggressively to assert control over Venezuelan oil while blocking congressional attempts to limit presidential war powers.
The State Department escalated warnings January 10, ordering Americans to leave Venezuela immediately as armed colectivos established roadblocks searching vehicles for US citizens. International flights had resumed, providing evacuation routes that weren’t available during the January 3 operation.
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez held her first phone call with Trump on January 14. The two discussed oil infrastructure rebuilding, with Trump describing Rodriguez as a “terrific person” and claiming the countries are “getting along very well.” Rodriguez announced oil sector reforms to parliament the same day, pledging changes to the Hydrocarbons Law that limits foreign involvement in the country’s resources.
The cooperation came with a price. Rodriguez claims Venezuela released 406 political prisoners, but human rights organization Foro Penal confirms only 68 out of an estimated 800 detainees. Trump cited the releases when he cancelled his “second wave of attacks” on Venezuela.
The US Department of Energy announced completion of the first oil sales—$500 million as part of a $2 billion US-Venezuela deal. The Trump administration simultaneously seized its sixth oil tanker in the Caribbean on January 16, the fourth since Maduro’s capture. Coast Guard forces boarded the Veronica “without incident” as part of what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Trump’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels.”
Congress attempted to rein in Trump’s military authority through a war powers resolution requiring approval for future Venezuela operations. The measure advanced procedurally with bipartisan support on January 8, but Republican senators Todd Young and Josh Hawley reversed positions after intense White House pressure. Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie January 15 to defeat the resolution.
The Justice Department justified the operation in a December 22 memo published January 14, arguing that Maduro’s abduction constituted “law enforcement” rather than war, placing it outside congressional authority. The memo stated officials had “not received facts indicating it will” trigger war as of its writing.
Trump met Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House on January 15. She presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, which he kept. Trump had previously dismissed Machado as not “respected” by Venezuelans, raising questions about his administration’s commitment to democratic transition versus oil access.
Regional divisions hardened along ideological lines. Right-leaning leaders in Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Chile supported the intervention. Colombia’s Gustavo Petro mobilized security forces along the Venezuela border and warned he would “take up arms” if the US attempted similar action against Colombia. Mexico and Brazil condemned the sovereignty violation.
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