By Ginika Igboke
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump’s plan for U.S. involvement in Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro will unfold in three main phases: stabilization, recovery, and a final transition of power.
Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill on Jan. 7 after a closed-door Senate briefing, Rubio sought to clarify the administration’s interim strategy amid mounting questions from lawmakers and the public. Maduro’s deputy and longtime ally, Delcy Rodríguez, is currently serving as Venezuela’s interim leader. Trump has signaled a willingness to work with Rodríguez as long as she cooperates with U.S. objectives.
Phase One: Stabilization and Control of Oil Resources
Rubio described the first phase as focused on preventing instability.
“Step one is the stabilization of the country. We don’t want it descending into chaos,” he said.
As part of this phase, the United States will continue to exert control over Venezuela’s oil exports. Trump declared a blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers last month, and since December, U.S. authorities have seized four tankers, including two seized earlier on Wednesday.
“We are in the midst right now, and in fact, about to execute on a deal to take all the oil they have—oil that is stuck in Venezuela,” Rubio said, citing U.S. sanctions and the ongoing quarantine.
Trump said Tuesday that the United States expects to receive between 30 million and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil in the near future. Rubio explained that the oil would be sold at market prices, with proceeds managed under U.S. oversight to ensure they benefit the Venezuelan people rather than corruption or remnants of the former regime.
Phase Two: Economic Recovery and National Reconciliation
The second phase, Rubio said, will center on economic recovery and social reconciliation.
“That is ensuring that American, Western, and other companies have access to the Venezuela market in a way that’s fair,” he said.
Beyond opening the country to foreign investment, Rubio said this phase will include a reconciliation process aimed at rebuilding Venezuelan civil society. That effort could involve granting amnesty, releasing political prisoners, and allowing exiled opposition figures to return home.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who escaped the country in December despite a travel ban, has praised the U.S. operation against Maduro and reiterated her intention to return.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the administration currently has “maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela,” adding that Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, and other senior officials remain in regular contact with the interim leadership.
Phase Three: Transition of Power
Rubio said the final phase will involve transitioning authority back to Venezuelans, though he declined to provide a specific timeline.
“This will be a process of transition. In the end, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country,” he said.
Venezuela’s constitution mandates an election within 30 days if a president becomes permanently unable to serve. However, the country’s Supreme Court has ruled that Maduro’s absence is “temporary,” effectively bypassing that requirement.
Asked in a recent television interview when elections might be held, Rubio said only that “there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Lawmakers Raise Concerns
Democratic leaders criticized the administration for limiting briefings to closed-door sessions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the approach avoids public accountability.
“We need answers to these questions, and we need them made publicly,” Schumer said.
After a separate House briefing by Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Rep. Gregory Meeks said Democrats pressed for clarity on election timing but received none. He also warned that instability could allow armed groups such as Colombia’s ELN and FARC to exploit the situation.
“As long as you have instability, that opens a door for them to try to take advantage,” Meeks said.
Rubio dismissed Democratic criticism, saying lawmakers had been fully briefed on detailed planning already underway.
“It’s not just winging it,” he said. “It’s already happening, like the oil arrangement that we’ve made.”
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