In a letter sent to President Biden on Friday, a group of seven top Senate Republican leaders, led by Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, called on the president to cancel the renewal of General License 44, which grants oil sanctions relief to the authoritarian Venezuelan regime. The lawmakers argued that the Venezuelan government has failed to meet the requirements for fair elections that were agreed upon when the Biden administration issued the six-month license last year.

The senators emphasized the importance of not appeasing dictators, citing historical evidence that such appeasement does not work. They urged President Biden to reinstate and fully enforce all U.S. sanctions on the Nicolas Maduro regime, stating that lifting sanctions while the Venezuelan government disregards its obligations would cede American leverage.

The lawmakers also warned about the consequences of failing to ensure free and fair elections in Venezuela. They claimed that the prospects of a democratic Venezuela would continue to diminish, thereby emboldening authoritarian aggressors like China, Iran, and Russia.

The call to block oil sanctions relief comes after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed an agreement with opposition leaders in October, promising freer elections. This agreement led to the U.S. Treasury Department easing sanctions on Venezuela's key oil sector. However, Maduro's regime quickly violated the agreement by cracking down on the opposition and imprisoning political opponents ahead of the upcoming presidential election in July 2024.

The State Department had already announced in October that it would not renew General License 44 unless there was progress from the Venezuelan government regarding the agreement. The license had authorized oil and gas transactions with Venezuela and was issued a year after the Biden administration granted Chevron, a California-based energy firm, a separate license to continue drilling in Venezuela.

According to federal data, U.S. oil imports from Venezuela saw a significant spike from zero barrels in December 2022 to nearly 5 million barrels in January. This increase in imports followed heavy sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in 2019 after a dispute between Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido over the 2018 presidential election.

Sen. Sullivan, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, expressed deep concern about President Biden potentially maintaining sanctions relief for Venezuela. He also criticized recent actions taken by the administration to curb domestic energy production.

Sullivan denounced Biden's focus on appeasing dictators and the eco-colonialists, stating that it is at the expense of America's national security. He further highlighted the Department of the Interior's expected regulations that would block off 13 million acres of land in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, a significant oil basin. Sullivan contended that this move, alongside renewed oil sanctions relief for Venezuela, demonstrates the administration's failure in energy policy, specifically impacting Alaska.

The letter to President Biden was also signed by Republican Sens. James Risch of Idaho, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida.