



Oil CEOs come to Washington. Are gas prices about to fall?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Good morning. Trump moves fast. Less than one week after the U.S.
military swooped into Venezuela and captured the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, the president will meet with energy industry chief executives Friday about his plan to dramatically expand drilling in the South American country. Trump wants to pump so much oil out of Venezuela that he pushes oil prices down to around $50 a barrel. There are a TON of things in flux with this effort, but here are some key issues to watch: 1.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that big oil companies have so far been reluctant to jump at the opportunity to boost drilling in Venezuela, citing in part their “corporate boards" and a “lot of bureaucracy." 2. The process of overhauling Venezuela’s creaking energy infrastructure and pumping out enough oil to move markets could be very expensive, but Trump seems very committed even if it takes multiple years. 3.
The average price of gasoline now is roughly $2.82, down about $0.25 from a year ago. That’s good for Trump, in the eyes of consumers, but low energy prices could cause problems in areas that rely on energy jobs, particularly in places like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Something to watch later this year.
4. Congress isn’t on board with Trump’s Venezuela plan. In fact, the Senate voted Thursday to make it harder for him to send U.S.
troops to the country without their support (to guard energy assets?). Does he now proceed with more caution? This is an edition of the Politics newsletter, bringing you an expert guide to what’s driving D.C. every day.
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