The Trump administration has collected an estimated $13 billion from Venezuelan oil exports since assuming control of the country’s oil sales in January, according to a Financial Times investigation.
Public records account for only about $300 million reaching Caracas.
The first cargoes, sold to traders Vitol and Trafigura at a discount, were routed through a Qatar-based account rather than the U.S. Treasury, avoiding standard congressional accounting procedures until lawmakers sought greater disclosure.
President Donald Trump has said the United States is “making a lot of money” from the arrangement. At the same time, Executive Order 14373 designates the proceeds as Venezuela’s sovereign property held in U.S. custody. The State Department has told Congress that billions of dollars have been returned to Venezuela under strict oversight, but it has not published a comprehensive accounting of those transfers.
The discrepancy has fueled questions over the management of one of the world’s largest state-controlled oil revenue streams. Economists cited by the Financial Times argue that Venezuela’s weaker-than-expected economic recovery suggests much of the export revenue has yet to reach the country’s economy.
Neither the White House nor the State Department has released a full public accounting of the funds.
