Republican unease over President Donald Trump's Venezuela strategy surfaced over the weekend, as two prominent GOP lawmakers warned that a massive new oil agreement cannot replace the democratic transition Washington promised after Nicolás Maduro's capture.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida initially issued the sharpest criticism of the deal, while Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called for Venezuela to hold free and fair elections no later than mid-2027. Their comments exposed a growing divide between Trump's focus on Venezuela's oil resources and Republicans who insist that removing Maduro was supposed to lead to democracy, not an indefinite partnership with his former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez.
