US government working to increase pressure on Venezuela

The United States administration and Congress are working to increase pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by introducing new sanctions and enticing Venezuelan officials to defect to an opposition figure.

Larry Kudlow, the top White House economic adviser, claimed in a press conference on Wednesday that the US would pump dollars into the Venezuelan economy once it “gets rid of” Maduro.

Kudlow said Washington was already working with banks and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a plan to improve Venezuela’s economy.

“We call it Day Two. It would be a rescue plan, it would be a restructuring plan, it would be a plan to put cash into the country,” he said at the briefing, which was arranged by The Christian Science Monitor weekly.

“The timeline is to get rid of Maduro. I have no idea when that is going to be,” added Kudlow, who is director of the US National Economic Council.

He said that once Maduro is gone, Washington would provide Venezuela with immediate economic assistance, beginning with pushing the US currency in to reignite economic activity, moving it via “banks, iPhones, and apps.”

“The cash will not be bolivars. It will be dollars, at least at the beginning. There is no demand for bolivars. Dollars are the answer,” Kudlow claimed.

Venezuela has been in political chaos since opposition figure Juan Guaido declared himself “interim president” late in January. Guaido has received backing and encouragement from the US government along the way.

SS