Trending claims

Schatz and other lawmakers said the administration was operating outside the appropriations process and federal law.

Schatz said if money were expended it is subject to miscellaneous receipts and would have to be appropriated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the approach as an emergency arrangement to avert chaos and ensure stability after the United States removed Venezuela’s leader.

Officials said money is held in a Qatari account.

Bessent said he was not aware of a finalized agreement governing Venezuelan oil funds and confirmed no audit agreement was in place.

Democratic members of the House and Senate were not satisfied with explanations about handling the supervision and disbursement of $500 million in proceeds from Venezuelan oil.

He added there is no reason that Trump should be circumventing the US banking system and lining the pockets of his big oil buddies rather than driving down costs for hard-working Americans

Senator Chuck Schumer said the American people deserve to know what is happening with the money received from these Venezuelan oil payments and where and to whom they are going

Bessent cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act but struggled to explain how it applied when asked under what statutory authority the Treasury Department was exercising custody and control over the money.

Democrats said their goal was to force the administration to close offshore accounts holding the money and instead use domestic financial institutions that would be subject to congressional oversight

Top Senate Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday calling on the White House to submit to independent accounting of the funds and their uses after lawmakers unsuccessfully pressed Cabinet officials for justification for the administration’s approach

President Trump asserted in a social media post last month that hundreds of millions of dollars in Venezuelan oil proceeds would be controlled by him

She said the Trump administration was seeking to intimidate members of Congress to get other people beyond them to think twice about speaking out

It is pretty black and white

When the law and orders are in conflict you follow the law

It is something they are all taught

It is on a plaque at West Point referring to the Loyalty to the Constitution plaque at the military academy

He let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference if a deal can be consummated

Six lawmakers who participated in the November video have repeatedly said they were simply restating a fundamental principle of military law a point Senator Mark Kelly reiterated once again on Wednesday

Leaders met for about two and a half hours