Duval Times

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Last week, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Dan Sullivan, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), along with five of their Republican colleagues, sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration not to renew oil sanctions relief for Venezuela. The administration must decide whether to reauthorize the sanctions relief by Thursday when the previous authorization expires. Co-signers include Senators Bill Hagerty, John Barrasso, Pete Ricketts, Jim Risch, and Marco Rubio.

A group of top Senate Republican leaders is urging President Biden to block oil sanctions relief for the Venezuelan government, an authoritarian regime which continues to oppress its opponents. Led by Sen. Dan Sullivan, the lawmakers called on the president to cancel General License 44, set for renewal later this week, citing Venezuela's failure to meet requirements related to fair elections promised when the Biden administration issued the license last year.

"If the U.S. fails to take a credible stance on ensuring free and fair elections are held in Venezuela, the prospects of a democratic Venezuela will continue to diminish, which will further embolden authoritarian aggressors such as the People’s Republic of China, Iran, and Russia," the lawmakers expressed in their letter.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed an agreement with opposition leaders last October, committing to freer elections in exchange for eased sanctions on the country's oil sector. However, the regime's actions, including cracking down on the opposition and imprisoning political opponents, have raised concerns about violations of the agreement ahead of the upcoming presidential election in July 2024.

Senator Dan Sullivan, in a statement to Fox News Digital, voiced his concerns over Biden potentially maintaining sanctions relief for Venezuela and recent actions taken by the administration to limit domestic oil production. "Joe Biden needs to wake the hell up and stop appeasing dictators and the eco-colonialists – fast," Sullivan emphasized.

The Department of the Interior is expected to finalize regulations blocking off 13 million acres of land in the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, designated for resource development, as reported by Bloomberg last week.

The full text of the letter and more details can be found on Fox News Digital's report.