Report to Congress on Venezuela and U.S. Policy

The following is the Aug. 18, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, Venezuela’s Post-Maduro Political Transition and U.S. Policy.

From the report

Some Members of Congress have closely followed the political and economic situation in Venezuela following the January 3, 2026, U.S. capture and arrest of President Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) and his wife, Cilia Flores, on narco-terrorism and other charges. Following Maduro’s removal, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and oil minister of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), took power as acting president. Apparent 2024 election winner Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado have remained in exile. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a three-phase plan for Venezuela involving (1) stabilization, (2) economic recovery and political reconciliation, and (3) political transition. On June 24, 2026, two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing more than 6,100 and potentially setting back U.S.-supported efforts to stabilize the country.

On June 3, 2026, Secretary Rubio testified before Congress that significant progress had occurred in Venezuela since January, but that “in order to truly transition, they [Venezuela] have to have multi-party, free and fair elections.” To date, U.S. pressure on the acting government apparently has secured U.S. control of Venezuela’s oil sales and proceeds; the enactment of an amnesty law and release of some political prisoners; a rollback of Venezuela’s ties to Cuba and Iran; and security cooperation on a U.S.-led operation that killed a leader of Tren de Aragua, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. It remains to be seen whether the earthquakes will delay or spur progress toward a political transition.

Some analysts predicted that negotiations between the acting government and the opposition on advancing a democratic transition would be led by María Corina Machado; the Trump Administration has backed a different dialogue process. Machado and some opposition leaders met in Panama in May and then called for negotiations under her leadership. The Trump Administration did not comment on the Panama statement but has backed talks led by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez of the PSUV (the brother of the acting president) and Dinorah Figuera, head of the democratically elected 2015 National Assembly. Machado and González Urrutia are not participating. The State Department welcomed the first round of talks that began on August 6, 2026, and are aimed at strengthening earthquake response efforts and expanding political freedoms.

During the 119th Congress, some Members expressed support for the Trump Administration’s capture and arrest of Nicolás Maduro while others questioned whether President Trump had the authority to remove Maduro without congressional authorization. Following Maduro’s arrest, some in Congress have praised the Trump Administration for pressuring the acting government to cut ties with U.S. adversaries and follow U.S. guidance in opening its economy. Other Members of Congress have sought to shape how democracy and human rights objectives are balanced against other U.S. goals in Venezuela through legislation, hearings, and other oversight.

Download the report here.