Trump officials scramble to sell skeptical lawmakers, oil execs on Venezuela plan

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/07/politics/trump-officials-venezuela-oil-plan

Also unclear is the legal authority for such an arrangement, which administration officials have openly acknowledged is being negotiated with Rodriguez under the threat of paying “a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro” if she doesn’t agree, as Trump put it.

Within the administration, the push to manage the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s ouster has masked another looming problem: Despite Trump’s insistence that US oil companies would pour into Venezuela, officials have no ready plan for convincing firms to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in rebuilding the nation’s energy infrastructure.

The administration is “trying to sell us on engaging and getting in,” the energy lobbyist said. “It’s, ‘Hey look what we did for you. Now step up.’”

That push has been met with trepidation in public and even deeper skepticism in private, the industry sources said, driven by doubts that Trump can provide the stability and security needed for companies to set up operations — and that the potential profits will be worth the risk.