Republican U.S. Representative Maria Salazar told Fox Business on Monday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro understands “that we’re about to go in.”
Salazar, who represents Florida's 27th District, said that U.S. involvement in Venezuelan regime change would be “very good news for the American economy,” given the South American nation holds the world's largest known oil reserves.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Defense for comment on the congresswoman's remarks.
Why It Matters
The U.S. has recently deployed the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean Sea, after sinking multiple boats in its nearly three-month campaign targeting what the administration of President Donald Trump says are drug-smuggling vessels. The intensive military buildup is seen as a means to pressure Maduro, whom the U.S. has accused of heading a drug cartel, which he denies.
According to Salazar, the White House designation of Maduro’s regime as a foreign terrorist organization “puts him right in the crosshairs. We can take him out, we can extradite him, or we can go in and try and finish his regime.”
“This is very good news for the American economy,” she said. “This is a number one goal for this administration from an economic standpoint.”
What To Know
Observers see the looming military presence coupled with economic pressures on Caracas as a U.S. attempt to oust Maduro. The U.S. doesn't recognize the authoritarian socialist leader as the winner of the country's 2024 elections.
When asked by Fox Business host David Asman on many Americans' reluctance to see the U.S. involved in regime change in Venezuela, Salazar said: “Maduro is not Fidel Castro. Maduro is not a brave boy. He understands that we are about to go in.”
Citing three economic, security and political reasons for U.S. involvement, the congresswomen said that “Venezuela for the American oil companies will be a field day because it will be more than a trillion dollars in economic activity.”
“American companies can go in and fix the oil rigs and everything that has to do with the Venezuelan petroleum companies, with oil and the derivatives.”
“The Venezuelans have the largest reserves of oil in the world, more than Saudi Arabia. This is going to be a windfall for us when it comes to fossil fuels.”
She then said Venezuela has been “the launching pad, the hub for our enemies, the Iranians, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Cubans, the Nicaraguans, people that hate the United States and want to do harm to us.”
Finally, she argued that “he [Maduro] is the head of the Suns Cartel [Cartel de los Soles], which is one of the transitional criminal organizations. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury for drug trafficking.”
The U.S. State Department has officially designated Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, claiming the cartel is "responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe."
Probed by host Asman on her use of the phrase “we're about to go in,” Salazar said: “Eighty percent of Venezuelans, including the military, voted against the Maduro regime."
“This is going to be very similar to Panama,” she added, referring to the 1989 U.S. invasion to arrest former U.S. ally Manuel Noriega, who was wanted on racketeering and drug-trafficking charges.
“I was there, I was a news reporter and I remember when the Marines were walking in and the Panamanian girls were asking them to marry them. So, I think it’s very similar.”
What People Are Saying
The U.S. State Department, in a statement: "The Department of State intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective November 24, 2025. Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela's military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary."
Salazar, on Fox Business: “I salute President Trump for doing this. This guy [Maduro] is a thug. It’s time for the United States to do what it needs to do it.”
What Happens Next
With the designation in effect, the U.S. may expand sanctions enforcement, target financial and logistical networks, and maintain diplomatic, military and intelligence pressure to disrupt the cartel's operations.