Barrasso: ‘U.S. Sanctions On Venezuela Should Not Be Lifted’

U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), responded to reports Thursday that the United States is engaged in discussions to ease sanctions with Venezuela. Barrasso said this politically motivated decision could lead to increased imports of Venezuelan oil to the United States. The Senator added that President Biden’s weakness continues to embolden dangerous dictators around the world and U.S. sanctions against Maduro’s ruthless regime should not be lifted until democracy returns and the oppression ends. Barrasso said that instead of lifting sanctions on Venezuela, the president should lift the crippling regulations he’s put on American energy.

On December 5, 2022 ranking member Barrasso teamed up with the ranking member Jim Risch (R-ID) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on an op-ed highlighting how easing sanctions on Venezuela is bad policy for the United States. Ranking member Barrasso is a co-sponsor of the Venezuelan Democracy Act to condition U.S. sanctions on Venezuela based on specific democratic progress.