Overview
- Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the January 3 operation to capture Nicolás Maduro was a limited, law‑enforcement‑style mission rather than an act of war.
- Rubio outlined that proceeds from U.S.-licensed Venezuelan oil sales will first go to a Qatar‑managed account, then be released in stages against monthly budgets submitted by the interim government before transfer to a U.S. Treasury account.
- He said the funds are intended to support basic services such as policing, sanitation and health care, with Venezuelan officials committing to buy medicine and equipment from U.S. suppliers.
- Lawmakers from both parties pressed Rubio on war powers, the administration’s legal authority, the lack of congressional consultation, and concerns over no‑bid oil licenses and the Qatar account, with Sen. Rand Paul challenging the claim that the action was not war.
- Rubio framed the move as countering narco‑trafficking and foreign influence, asserting Venezuela under Maduro had served as a base for China, Russia and Iran, including discounted oil deals benefiting Beijing.