The U.S. is preparing another round of sanctions to punish the government of Venezuela, and one potential tool under review would squeeze the country’s ability to finance itself, according to two people familiar with the deliberations.
The next steps in a campaign to pressure President Nicolas Maduro are still being debated within the Trump administration and no decisions have been made, one of the people said. President Donald Trump is traveling outside of Washington and discussion is still going on at the State and Treasury departments.
One measure under consideration would block trades of Venezuelan-held dollar-denominated notes sold by the government and Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-run oil company, according to another person. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the actions are still under deliberation.
The U.S has been escalating sanctions on Venezuelan officials and others connected to Maduro as the socialist government moves to increase its authority amid a crippling recession and months of violent protests. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has labeled Maduro a dictator for arresting opposition leaders and seeking to revise the constitution.
