President Joe Biden has made another shocking policy move that has a group of Republican senators demanding he reverse course.
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As first reported by Fox News, a coalition of key Senate Republican leaders is urging President Biden to oppose oil sanctions relief for the Venezuelan government, an authoritarian regime that persists in suppressing its dissenting voices.
Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, along with six other GOP senators, sent a letter to Biden on Friday, urging him to revoke General License 44, scheduled for renewal later this week. They contended that the Venezuelan government has not fulfilled crucial obligations related to guaranteeing fair elections, as agreed upon when the Biden administration granted the six-month license last year.
“History has proven time and time again that appeasing dictators does not work. We strongly urge you to reinstate and fully enforce all U.S. sanctions on the [Nicolás] Maduro regime,” they wrote. “We must not cede American leverage by lifting U.S. sanctions while the Maduro government deliberately disregards its obligations.”
“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 continued.
Fox News added:
In October, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed an agreement with the nation’s opposition leaders, agreeing to freer elections as part of a deal in which the U.S. Treasury Department eased sanctions on the South American country’s key oil sector.
However, the Maduro regime almost immediately began taking actions in apparent violation of the deal, cracking down on the opposition and imprisoning political opponents ahead of Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election slated for July 2024. The State Department said in October it would not renew the General License 44 absent progress by the Venezuelan government.
The October agreement authorized transactions related to oil and gas with Venezuela. This agreement came a year after the Biden administration granted a separate license to Chevron, a California-based energy company, to continue drilling in Venezuela.
Recent federal data shows that the United States imported nearly 5 million barrels of oil from Venezuela in January, a significant increase from zero barrels in December 2022.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Senator Sullivan, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, voiced significant apprehension regarding Biden’s potential decision to continue sanctions relief for Venezuela, as well as recent measures taken by his administration to limit domestic production.
“Joe Biden needs to wake the hell up and stop appeasing dictators and the eco-colonialists – fast,” he said. “The world is on fire and Biden is still focused on appeasing his most far-left radical supporters at the expense of America’s national security.”