Florida Democrats on Defense over Biden’s Move to Get Oil from Venezuela: ‘Deeply Skeptical,’ ‘Deeply Concerned’

In an election year Democrats often adjust their message as a way to attract voters, and in Florida — where the Latino population is huge — politicians are trying to distance themselves from the Biden administration as it reaches out to Venezuela to shore up U.S. oil supplies.

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), who is challenging Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the midterm election, said she was “deeply skeptical of the new talks in Venezuela” and added that Americans imprisoned under the Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship should be the focus of discussions, the Hill reported.

The U.S. should be “empowering the Venezuelan people in their struggle for freedom and democracy,” Demings said.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), who wants to unseat popular Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he has questioned the White House over members of the Biden administration visiting Venezuela in recent weeks.

“I’ve asked the Administration for an update on their activity in Venezuela, and I look forward to getting answers,” Crist said on Twitter. “I’m deeply concerned the wrong change to our policy would simply enrich Maduro’s brutal dictatorship and set back the fight for democracy.”

I’ve asked the Administration for an update on their activity in Venezuela, and I look forward to getting answers. I’m deeply concerned the wrong change to our policy would simply enrich Maduro’s brutal dictatorship and set back the fight for democracy.

— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) March 8, 2022

The Hill’s report included Republicans’ response to Biden shutting down oil from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after the Ukrainian invasion while approaching another dictator and noted that any talks with the Maduro regime are on hold.

The Hill reported:

Last week’s visit from senior administration officials to Venezuela was a planned meeting, but many note that the stakes changed since the U.S. sanctions on Russia were enacted. After the meeting, two American prisoners detained in Venezuela were released. A Biden administration official said last week that “at no point was there an offer of oil in exchange for the detention of Americans.” 

A number of U.S. sanctions are already in place against Venezuela, with some of them tied to President Nicolás Maduro’s alleged human rights violations. 

But last week’s visit resulted in backlash from both Republicans and Democrats. The talks have since been put on a hiatus.  

“Foreign policy is not considered foreign policy in a state like Florida, foreign policy is very personal,” Joanna Rodriguez, deputy communications director at the Republican Governors Association, said. “To see the Biden administration dismiss that experience completely so that they can try and fix the mess that they created at home is outrageous.”

DeSantis said, “Now we’re in a situation where people are really hurting and rather than acknowledge that their policies have been ineffective, they’re going to Maduro and they’re going to the Ayatollahs in Iran.”

Twenty five GOP governors, including DeSantis, have asked the Biden administration to reverse his executive order to shutter the Keystone XL Pipeline and to lift the ban on oil and gas production on federal land.

The Hill reported that Florida has the largest Venezuelan population in the United States, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey using 2020 census data. Latino voters living in Florida put policies connected to the home country high on their list of concerns.

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