Before there’s been any serious public debate or congressional oversight, Trump is sitting down with Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and Chevron to discuss Venezuela. That tells you exactly whose voices are shaping U.S. foreign policy here, and it’s not the public’s. The Trump administration has floated ideas ranging from reimbursements to government backstops to help oil companies invest in Venezuela. That means public money absorbing the risk of instability and failure, while private companies stand to lock in long-term profits if things work out. This won’t lower prices or help families. It deepens dependence on oil just when we should be moving away from it. Expanding production in Venezuela would lock in decades of new emissions at the exact moment scientists say fossil fuel production needs to decline. Clean energy lowers costs and reduces conflict — oil deals like this do the opposite.
Ferd Wulkan
Montague