Shaheen, Warren Ask Rubio and Bessent to Explain Sanctions Relief for Venezuela Regime Head Delcy Rodríguez

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent demanding an explanation for the Trump Administration's decision to remove sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez, acting President of Venezuela and a key actor in Nicolas Maduro's repressive regime.

"In the wake of a series of recent U.S. sanctions relief for Venezuela, the Administration has an obligation to explain how such relief advances U.S. national security," wrote the Senators. "Despite no significant changes to the political leadership that carried out repression against the Venezuelan people, the Administration has yet to explain the grounds for lifting sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez."

The Senators pressed the Trump Administration on why it lifted sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez despite her continued involvement in the repression of the Venezuelan people.

"Rodríguez also exercised hierarchical control over the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Venezuela's feared intelligence service that was found by the 2020 UN Fact Finding Mission to have committed crimes against humanity," continued the Senators. "Yet now sanctions have been lifted on Ms. Rodríguez without any indication that she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order. Moreover, the March 2026 UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela concluded that the key structures responsible for repression remain intact and that there are no meaningful indicators of structural reform sufficient to prevent ongoing abuses."

Finally, the Senators called on the Administration to remain committed to holding human rights abusers accountable and warned of the dangers if that does not happen.

"Critically, individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses, corruption or other antidemocratic acts should remain locked out of our financial system absent concrete and meaningful behavior change," concluded the Senators. "Absent that, there remains a significant risk that sanctions relief will needlessly increase the resources and capacity of the very actors responsible for Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian collapse."

Full text of the letter to Secretaries Rubio and Bessent is available HERE and provided below.

Dear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Bessent,

We write to request a detailed justification for the recent decisions to lift sanctions on acting President of Venezuela Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gomez, a central figure in Nicolas Maduro's repressive regime and credibly linked by U.S. and international authorities to systemic abuses of the Venezuelan people. In the wake of a series of recent U.S. sanctions relief for Venezuela, the Administration has an obligation to explain how such relief advances U.S. national security. Despite no significant changes to the political leadership that carried out repression against the Venezuelan people, the Administration has yet to explain the grounds for lifting sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez.

Delcy Rodríguez previously had been sanctioned for her central role in the Maduro regime. When Treasury designated Rodríguez in 2018, Treasury stressed that she was a member of "Maduro's inner circle" who helped "solidify his authoritarian rule." Rodríguez also exercised hierarchical control over the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Venezuela's feared intelligence service that was found by the 2020 UN Fact Finding Mission to have committed crimes against humanity. Yet now sanctions have been lifted on Ms. Rodríguez without any indication that she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order. Moreover, the March 2026 UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela concluded that the key structures responsible for repression remain intact and that there are no meaningful indicators of structural reform sufficient to prevent ongoing abuses.

Maduro regime officials and illicit actors in Venezuela have repeatedly sought to evade sanctions or launder the proceeds of corruption and other crimes. Now that Treasury has issued multiple licenses relaxing U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, including General License 57, which authorizes U.S. financial services with certain Venezuelan banks and their subsidiaries, there is a serious risk that illicit actors could exploit vulnerabilities at these banks to access the U.S. and global financial systems. It is unclear that your agencies are taking any action to assess or enhance the capacity of these banks to implement effective anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance controls-even though state-owned banks have historically served as conduits for transactions involving sanctioned actors.

We therefore request a detailed explanation of the legal, factual, and policy basis for lifting sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez. If your agencies are considering delistings of other Maduro regime officials, individuals responsible for human rights violations against the Venezuelan people, and senior officials who engaged in corruption we request advance notice as well as the specific criteria you would use to lift such sanctions. We also request a detailed explanation for the issuance of General License 57, including the choice of named financial institutions and any measures your departments are taking to mitigate illicit finance risks.

The United States must remain committed to alleviating the suffering of the Venezuelan people, both by addressing the country's severe economic crisis and by promoting sustained, verifiable progress toward a democratic transition. Critically, individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses, corruption or other antidemocratic acts should remain locked out of our financial system absent concrete and meaningful behavior change. Absent that, there remains a significant risk that sanctions relief will needlessly increase the resources and capacity of the very actors responsible for Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian collapse.

We therefore call on you to provide a detailed justification for how the recent sanctions relief for key Maduro figures and the financial sector will help provide stability and justice for the Venezuelan people while advancing U.S. national security. We look forward to your prompt response.

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