Trump Signals Billions in U.S. Oil Investment After Venezuela Regime Change

President Donald Trump said the United States plans to deploy major domestic oil companies to Venezuela to repair and expand the country’s energy infrastructure after the removal of former president Nicolás Maduro. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said U.S. firms would spend billions of dollars to fix Venezuela’s “badly broken” oil infrastructure, with the goal of restoring production and exports.

Venezuela holds the largest proven oil reserves globally, estimated at 303 billion barrels, or about 17% of world reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Despite this, years of underinvestment, sanctions, and mismanagement have sharply reduced output.

Currently, Chevron is the only major U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela, exporting around 140,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2025, based on data from Kpler. Venezuela’s total production stands at roughly 800,000 barrels per day, far below its late-1990s peak of 3.5 million barrels per day.

Trump said the U.S. would temporarily oversee Venezuela’s transition, while keeping the existing oil embargo in place. He added that oil companies would initially fund reconstruction efforts but would later be reimbursed, positioning the strategy as both an economic and geopolitical reset.

Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976, creating state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. and pushing out foreign operators. In recent years, China and Russia expanded their presence, with the Maduro government extending joint ventures with Russian-linked firms shortly before its collapse.

Analysts warn that short-term disruptions are likely. Uncertainty over control in Caracas could temporarily halt exports as buyers hesitate over payment channels. Still, an oversupplied global oil market may limit price impacts, with Brent crude down about 19% in 2025 and U.S. oil prices falling nearly 20%, amid rising output from OPEC+ and record U.S. production.

While Trump framed the move as an opportunity to “get the oil flowing,” energy experts note that restoring Venezuela’s production to former levels will require years of investment, political stability, and security on the ground.