"U.S. Senators Demand Tougher Venezuela Oil Sanctions Ahead of Election"

A group of top Senate Republican leaders, led by Sen. Dan Sullivan, is urging President Biden to block oil sanctions relief for Venezuela, arguing that the authoritarian regime has failed to meet key requirements related to ensuring fair elections. The lawmakers warned that appeasing dictators does not work and called on Biden to reinstate and fully enforce all U.S. sanctions on the Maduro regime. They expressed concern that lifting U.S. sanctions would embolden authoritarian aggressors such as China, Iran, and Russia. The Biden administration is expected to issue a decision on sanctions relief for the Venezuelan oil sector this week.