Trump’s Shocking 2026 Executive Order Shields Venezuelan Oil Billions
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to protect Venezuelan oil revenue held in the United States from being seized through court action or creditor claims.
Trump Executive Order
The order, signed on Friday and released publicly on Saturday, comes just one week after US forces carried out a covert operation to capture Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro.
Under the directive, Venezuelan funds held in US Treasury accounts known as Foreign Government Deposit Funds are shielded from lawsuits, judgments or other judicial processes unless explicitly authorised by the US government.
The White House said allowing those funds to be targeted by creditors would undermine Washington’s broader strategy for stabilising Venezuela and the wider region.
The executive order states that failing to safeguard the revenue “will substantially interfere with our critical efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela”.
It adds that such instability would threaten major US foreign policy goals, including reducing illegal immigration, countering security threats linked to Iran and Venezuela, and promoting long term peace and prosperity across the Western Hemisphere.
Several multinational energy companies have long pursued claims against Venezuela following the nationalisation of oil assets nearly two decades ago. According to Reuters, firms including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips are owed billions of dollars.
On Friday, Trump hosted around a dozen senior energy executives at the White House as part of an effort to encourage US oil companies to re engage with Venezuela under American oversight. The president told attendees that future dealings would be conducted directly with the US government rather than Venezuelan authorities.
During the meeting, ConocoPhillips chief executive Ryan Lance said his company was still owed approximately $12 billion, according to Reuters. Trump reportedly responded that while companies could recover a significant portion of their losses, the US intended to reset relations.
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“We’re not going to look at what people lost in the past because that was their fault,” Trump told Lance, according to the report.
The executive order explicitly blocks any attachment, judgment, lien, garnishment or similar legal action against the protected funds, declaring such measures null and void unless licensed by the US government.
White House officials say control of Venezuelan oil revenue, estimated at around $2.5 billion, is now central to Washington’s regional strategy. Senior administration figures have indicated the US plans to oversee Venezuelan oil sales and revenue for an indefinite period.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said: “I love the Venezuelan people, and am already making Venezuela rich and safe again,” though he did not provide further details.
The move underscores a dramatic shift in US policy toward Venezuela following Maduro’s capture, positioning American authorities as gatekeepers of the country’s most valuable economic asset while opening the door for renewed involvement by US energy firms under Washington’s direction.
