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On January 9, 2026, the United States government issued an executive order declaring a national emergency to safeguard certain Venezuelan government funds linked to the sale of oil and other natural resources, currently held and protected by the U.S. Treasury. This information comes from The White House.
The presidential order specifies that these funds—originating from transactions involving the Venezuelan state, the Central Bank of Venezuela, and PDVSA—will not be subject to seizures, confiscations, or legal proceedings in U.S. courts. Any such attempts will be deemed null and void.
According to the official document, Washington believes that allowing legal actions against these funds would directly impact national security and foreign policy of the United States by jeopardizing efforts to stabilize Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere. Objectives include reducing irregular migration, combating drug trafficking, and containing the influence of actors deemed hostile by the U.S.
The decree emphasizes that the protected resources are sovereign property of the Venezuelan state, not of private creditors or companies involved in litigation against the country. It also clarifies that U.S. custody of the funds does not imply commercial usage or constitute a waiver of Venezuela’s sovereign immunity from lawsuits or legal claims.
Future Scope and Political Control of the Funds
This measure does not only cover Venezuelan resources already in U.S. possession; it also establishes a legal shield that includes future revenues, particularly those derived from oil, as long as they are deposited in designated U.S. Treasury accounts. Practically, this means that any new Venezuelan oil revenue that navigates through the U.S.-controlled financial system will be automatically safeguarded against attachments or litigations. The management of these funds falls to the Treasury Department, which acts as the custodian, while the State Department holds the authority to determine eventual use or transfer for public, governmental, or diplomatic purposes. This alignment ensures that political control over the ultimate destination of the resources correlates with the diplomatic strategy outlined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
With this move, the U.S. government strengthens its control over the financial flows derived from Venezuelan oil and significantly limits the chance of international creditors accessing these resources through legal channels, thereby consolidating an indefinite financial protection scheme.
Here is the full decree: