Trump administration pledges second nine-figure aid package for Venezuela, marking first major US bilateral engagement since Maduro era

Summary

A senior Trump administration official said on Saturday that the White House is preparing a second humanitarian aid package of "nine figures" for Venezuela, to be announced within days, beyond the $150 million already deployed through USAID partners and the OCHA Venezuela pooled fund. US Embassy Caracas is coordinating directly with Venezuelan authorities including acting president Delcy Rodriguez, marking the first sustained bilateral engagement between Washington and Caracas since the Maduro era began. Seventeen nations have sent 1,600 search-and-rescue personnel on 17 flights. The State Department confirmed Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's 80-person urban search-and-rescue team and US Navy assets are already operating in La Guaira.

Why it matters

The earthquake is reopening direct US-Venezuela bilateral channels that sanctions had sealed for years. A "nine-figure" second commitment would put total US disaster relief in the hundreds of millions, creating the largest single US financial engagement with Venezuela in over a decade and potentially softening the diplomatic freeze that has complicated both oil sanctions and migration discussions.