'For oil, not democracy' - US lawmakers slam Trump on Maduro's kidnapping
U.S. lawmakers clashed on Thursday over Washington’s approach to Latin America during a congressional hearing on the fallout from Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power in Venezuela and the possible implications for Cuba and the region.
The House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee held the hearing, titled Latin America After the Fall of Maduro, on April 16 in Washington.
Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar, who chairs the panel, praised President Donald Trump’s Venezuela policy and said no recent administration had gone as far. In opening remarks released by the committee, Salazar said Maduro’s fall had changed the region and increased pressure on other authoritarian governments, especially Cuba.
Democrats on the panel, however, questioned both the legality and the motives behind U.S. action in Venezuela. Representative Joaquin Castro argued that the intervention was driven less by democratic ideals than by oil and warned that a similar strategy toward Cuba could further destabilise the region.
"This administration did not invade Venezuela because it was outraged by that theft, though. And to be clear, I would not have supported an invasion to enforce the results of the election. We know why the president ordered US service members into harm's way. Venezuela's oil, not democracy," Castro said.
His remarks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana, with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently warning against any U.S. attack and saying such a move would have serious regional consequences.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
