Rubio Defends Engaging Existing Venezuelan Governmental Structures as Unavoidable Pragmatism

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision to engage Venezuela’s existing governmental structures controlled by former Nicolas Maduro regime members as unavoidable pragmatism during Senate testimony Wednesday. The explanation acknowledged contradictions between stated democratic objectives and practical cooperation with authoritarian holdovers.
The former Florida senator argued that working with acting president Delcy Rodriguez and other former regime officials represents only viable path forward given governmental realities. He suggested that attempting to completely replace entire governmental apparatus would create chaos undermining stabilization objectives.
Rubio emphasized that American economic leverage through Treasury-controlled oil revenue accounts, preferential commercial arrangements, and monthly budget approvals provides sufficient mechanisms to influence behavior despite personnel continuity. He characterized the framework as ensuring compliance with democratic reform requirements over time.
Democrats challenged whether this approach risks legitimizing authoritarian figures rather than dismantling authoritarian structures. Senator Cory Booker pressed particularly hard on contradictions between democratic rhetoric and cooperation with officials who participated in years of repression under Maduro.
The hearing also addressed NATO alliance tensions, Greenland diplomatic progress, Iran regime change complexity, and arguments that regional conflicts operate independently. Rubio sought to present coherent foreign policy vision despite Democratic criticisms of contradictions between stated values and practical decisions.