Headline Roundup • April 2nd, 2026
US Lifts Sanctions on Venezuelan Leader Delcy Rodriguez
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The US lifted sanctions on Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Monday, removing her name from the Specially Designated Nationals List.
The Details: According to a press release from the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Treasury Department, the sanctions were lifted against the acting Venezuelan president, allowing her to work with US investors and companies more freely. Rodriguez assumed the office after the US deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Since then, she has been seen by President Donald Trump as a willing negotiating partner to enact democratic reforms in her country and reopen its energy infrastructure.
Key Quotes: White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated, "As President Trump has said, Delcy Rodriguez is doing a great job and is working with the United States very well. This decision reflects progress in the joint efforts between our two countries to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela." In a post on X, Rodriguez said, "We trust that this progress will allow for the lifting of the sanctions currently in place on our country, enabling the building and guaranteeing of an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our peoples."
For Context: Less than a month ago, the Reuters (Center bias) reported US was preparing to criminally charge Rodriguez for corruption and money laundering. She was one of several individuals in Maduro's 'inner circle' sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2018. The new move to lift sanctions comes as the US seeks to thaw relations with Venezuela, which has 'essentially appeared' to be under heavy US influence since January.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the political spectrum viewed the lifting of sanctions as an effort to strengthen ties between the US and Venezuela and open up business for the two countries.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
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Ariana Cubillos/AP
The U.S. has lifted sanctions against acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, who has been praised by President Donald Trump as a willing negotiating partner since he ordered the capture of her predecessor.
Rodriguez was removed from the Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals list, according to a notice posted Wednesday, which generally bans American companies and individuals from doing business with her.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly called the decision is a sign of "progress" between the U.S. and Venezuela.
The United States has lifted sanctions against Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez, a post on the US Treasury Department's website said Wednesday.
Rodriguez assumed the office after Washington deposed her predecessor Nicolas Maduro — with US forces conducting a raid on Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and seizing him on January 3.
What does the lifting of US sanctions mean for Rodriguez?
Rodriguez's name was removed from the "Specially Designated Nationals List," according to an entry by the Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The move enables Rodriguez to work with US...
The United States on Wednesday lifted sanctions against acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the Treasury Department, boosting ties between the two countries.
The sanctions were dropped, according to an Office of Foreign Assets Control entry on the agency's website.
The development comes as Washington's latest move to thaw relations with Venezuela, after Caracas was sent into an uproar in January when President Donald Trump authorized the Pentagon to arrest then-Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela has appeared to be essentially under U.S. control since the lightning raid on Jan....
