Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) called out the Trump administration for keeping the Maduro Regime in power in Venezuela following the capture of its former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The Congresswoman’s comments come nearly a week after President Trump met with Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's current interim president, in New York City amid the 81st United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly.
“We held a historic meeting with … Donald Trump, with whom we discussed strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries and advancing a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, security and other matters of common interest,” Rodriguez wrote following the meeting.
“Delcy Rodriguez is basically the continuation of the Maduro Regime,” Congresswoman Schultz said in an interview clip posted on X. “She was in charge of torture when Maduro was in charge; And now they haven’t released all the political prisoners; They haven’t transitioned toward democracy."
Prior to Maduro’s capture, Rodriguez served as the regime’s vice president.
Venezuela's Transitionary Period
Nearly 9 months have passed since the completion of “Operation Absolute Resolve” on Jan. 3, 2026, and there have been no updates on elections in Venezuela despite assurances from the Department of State to help the nation transition into a democratically elected government.
In that same time frame, however, the U.S. has worked to restore diplomatic relations with Venezuela, has helped reform the country’s oil industry, lifted sanctions on Rodriguez, opened air travel to the country, and recently announced a landmark oil deal with the nation granting the U.S. control of more than 65 billion barrels of oil reserves.
Wasserman Schultz Calls for TPS for Venezuelans
"Trump now got control of their oil – which is what this was all about in the first place – and they’re sending eventually hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans back to what?” Rep. Schultz questioned. “To persecution. To devastation. That’s unacceptable, that’s what the definition is of the need for [Temporary Protected Status (TPS)].”
This isn't the first time Congresswoman Schultz has advocated to restore TPS for Venezuelans since Maduro’s capture. Less than a week after the operation, Rep. Schultz argued to extend immigration protections for them.
