The State Department is accusing Democrats of performative "grandstanding" by demanding a sweeping Venezuela oil deal briefing then postponing so the Senate could leave town early. Four senior Senate Democrats demanded documents they already knew were coming, according to material reviewed by Fox News Digital — and then the Senate rescheduled a congressional briefing on the agreement planned for Oct. 1, 2026, so they could break for fall recess. The group of lawmakers were seeking more information on the Pentagon's involvement in an agreement with North American Blue Energy Partner (NABEP) that gives the Department of War a 35% stake in one of Venezuela’s largest oil producers.
State says the lawmakers had known for weeks that administration officials planned to brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and provide documents on the deal on Thursday. The department went forward with delivering copies of the U.S. government’s strategic partnership agreement with NABEP to the committee, claiming it did so despite the briefing being pulled down "as a courtesy." TRUMP TOUTS ACCESS TO 65 BILLION BARRELS OF VENEZUELAN OIL IN DEAL HE SAYS WILL SLASH GAS PRICES "Copies of the USG Strategic Partnership Agreement with NABEP for your Members are in the SFRC front office," a senior State Department official wrote. "Each Member has a folder with their copy." State Department Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson claimed Senate Democrats canceled the briefing so they could "skip town and go on vacation." "This is pure grandstanding," Johnson wrote on X.
"When they sent this letter, they had known for weeks that we planned to brief them and provide the documents today, on October 1." A congressional source familiar with the planned briefing disputed State’s characterization, telling Fox News Digital that lawmakers had not been told the written NABEP agreement would be provided before writing the letter and that the briefing was intended as a broader update on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, not specifically the oil deal. And emails reviewed by Fox News Digital show the briefing postponement request itself came from a Republican majority staffer on the Foreign Relations Committee, who told State early Oct. 1 that "the Senate has left town" and asked to move the briefing until November. A State Department official told Fox News Digital the staffer was acting on behalf of the full committee.
The congressional source said Republican leadership had ended legislative business for the week, with senators on both sides of the aisle preparing to leave Washington ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The group of Democrat lawmakers demanding the briefing are challenging the legality and prudence of the Trump administration’s agreement with NABEP, which would give the Pentagon rights to a 35% stake in one of Venezuela’s largest oil producers. Under the arrangement, the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital would receive rights to the stake through so-called penny warrants, while the State Department would receive preferential rights to purchase 20% of the company’s production at cost.
The unusual structure is part of the administration’s broader effort to revive Venezuelan oil production and expand U.S. economic influence after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster. Democrats argue the Pentagon may lack legal authority to take the stake and have raised questions about the administration’s vetting of NABEP and its leadership. The administration argues the structure could generate substantial returns for the U.S. without requiring taxpayers to buy the stake up front.
The White House has said the government’s 35% position could ultimately be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in equity and dividends if NABEP succeeds in developing the fields. The deal could also give Washington a new source of relatively low-cost crude at a time when the administration is trying to increase global supply and bring down fuel prices. State would have the right to buy 20% of NABEP’s production at cost and the right of first refusal on the remaining output, which the administration says could help replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and supply U.S. military and other sensitive needs.
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