The State Department accused Senate Democrats of performative grandstanding Thursday as it defended a postponed briefing on a controversial Venezuela oil agreement that could give the Pentagon a 35% stake in one of the country’s largest producers.
State Department Slams Democrats Over Venezuela Oil Deal
Four senior Senate Democrats demanded documents they already knew were coming, according to material reviewed by Fox News Digital, then postponed a congressional briefing scheduled for Oct. 1 2026 so the Senate could leave town early.
State officials said lawmakers had known for weeks that the administration planned to brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and provide the agreement on Thursday, and they delivered copies of the strategic partnership with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) to the committee despite the briefing being pulled “as a courtesy.”
Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson wrote on X that Democrats canceled the briefing to “skip town and go on vacation,” calling the move “pure grandstanding” because they had been informed of the scheduled briefing and document delivery.
A congressional source familiar with the planned briefing disputed the State’s characterization, saying lawmakers had not been told the written NABEP agreement would be provided before they sent their letter and that the briefing was intended as a broader update on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, not solely the oil deal.
Emails obtained by Fox News Digital show the postponement request originated from a Republican majority staffer on the Foreign Relations Committee, who told State early Oct. 1 that “the Senate has left town” and asked to move the briefing until November, noting that the full committee was acting on the request.
The group of Democratic lawmakers — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Jack Reed, Martin Heinrich and Elizabeth Warren — challenged both the legality and prudence of the Trump administration’s agreement with NABEP, which would give the Pentagon rights to a 35% equity stake in Venezuela’s largest oil producer.
Under the arrangement, the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital would receive the stake through penny warrants, while the State Department would obtain preferential rights to purchase 20% of production at cost and a right of first refusal on the remainder, potentially feeding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and military needs.
The administration argues the structure avoids upfront taxpayer spending and could generate hundreds of billions in equity and dividend value if NABEP succeeds in developing the fields, while also supplying low‑cost crude to help lower fuel prices and boost U.S. refinery activity.
NABEP currently produces about 220,000 barrels per day and aims to double output to 500,000 barrels per day by late 2028, a target the White House says could create jobs and investment in the United States through American drilling equipment and infrastructure.
Senators Shaheen, Reed, Heinrich and Warren warned that the Pentagon’s statutory authority does not clearly permit equity acquisition in foreign private companies, and they demanded the full agreement, payment details and information on NABEP’s vetting, citing concerns about chairman Alejandro Betancourt’s past money‑laundering investigations.
The dispute may fuel broader congressional scrutiny of one of the Trump administration’s most unconventional efforts to expand U.S. economic influence in Venezuela.
