Nearly eight months after President Donald Trump promised a rapid reopening of Venezuela's oil sector to American companies, the administration is facing mounting criticism as no new U.S. oil production contracts have been finalized, raising fresh questions about whether Washington's ambitious energy strategy is losing momentum.
The controversy places renewed attention on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has become one of the administration's leading architects of post-Maduro Venezuela policy. Although Rubio has publicly championed using Venezuela's vast oil reserves to strengthen U.S. energy security and reduce dependence on rival suppliers, responsibility for negotiating commercial agreements has remained with the Department of Energy, led by Secretary Chris Wright.
