When Nicolás Maduro was removed from power by the United States, many in Washington expected the U.S. to rally behind Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leader.

Instead, the Trump administration moved to engage a longtime Maduro loyalist, signaling a transition strategy driven less by democratic symbolism than by concerns over stability on the ground.

The approach sidelined María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who claims the strongest popular mandate and international profile, while elevating Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and a central figure in the outgoing regime.

Administration officials and outside analysts say the shift reflects a calculated effort to avoid a power vacuum and maintain control during a fragile transition, even as it complicates Washington’s longstanding support for Venezuela’s democratic opposition. 

And President Donald Trump is betting Rodríguez now lives in fear of what might happen to her if she defies the U.S. 

Trump, describing his phone call with Rodríguez, said she offered: ‘We’ll do whatever you need.’

‘I think she was quite gracious,’ he said. 

But in a separate interview with The Atlantic he warned: ‘If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.’

Following Maduro’s removal, Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president after the Supreme Court ruled she should assume power in his absence. 

Under Venezuela’s constitution, the vice president can serve on an interim basis while the country determines whether and when new elections will be held. While the constitution generally calls for elections within 30 days if a president is permanently unable to serve, authorities have so far described Maduro’s removal as temporary, allowing Rodríguez to remain in office as the timeline for a political transition is debated.

A classified CIA intelligence assessment examined who would be best positioned to lead a temporary government in Caracas, Venezuela, and maintain short-term stability, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. The report, requested by senior policymakers and presented to Trump, aimed to offer the president ‘comprehensive and objective analysis’ on possible scenarios after Maduro’s capture.

A source familiar with the assessment told Fox News Digital that the assessment attempted to analyze the domestic situation in Venezuela, but did not describe how Maduro could lose power or advocate for his removal.

Trump senior policymakers requested the assessment — specifically one that addressed who would be best able to stabilize Venezuela ‘immediately’ following a Maduro removal. 

‘There was sentiment among senior officials that Machado lacked the necessary support in Venezuela if Maduro was to be removed,’ the source familiar told Fox News Digital. 

One of the reasons for that, the source told Fox News Digital, was because Machado was not in Venezuela, though she has vowed to return. 

The report found Rodríguez would be best positioned to lead a temporary government in Caracas, Venezuela, and Gonzalez and Machado would struggle to gain support from security services. 

While Machado has been widely embraced by Western governments and democracy advocates, U.S. officials and analysts say that support has not translated into leverage over Venezuela’s military or security services.

Trump’s skepticism also has been shaped by frustration from his first term, when international backing and opposition momentum failed to produce a transfer of power.

‘Machado has an inherent problem from the get-go,’ said Pedro Garmendia, a Venezuela expert and Washington-based geopolitical risk analyst. ‘She doesn’t control troops or hold any sort of power in Venezuela.’

At the same time, ‘Rodríguez is an ideologue,’ he said. ‘In the long term, the Trump administration might find itself having trouble reining her in.’

Trump has been more blunt in explaining why the administration has not rallied behind Machado. Speaking after the operation that removed Maduro from power, Trump questioned whether she could lead Venezuela in a transition, saying she lacked sufficient support inside the country. 

‘I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,’ Trump said. ‘She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.’

A Washington Post report had claimed that Trump was upset Machado accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize — an award he coveted and that she dedicated to him. But the White House insisted Trump’s actions were the result of internal briefings.

‘President Trump is routinely briefed on domestic political dynamics all over the world. The President and his national security team are making realistic decisions to finally ensure Venezuela aligns with the interests of the United States, and becomes a better country for the Venezuelan people,’ said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

Rubio has sought to frame the decision as mission-driven rather than personal, pointing to past U.S. interventions as cautionary examples. 

‘I have tremendous admiration for María Corina Machado. I have admiration for Edmundo,’ Rubio said Sunday on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation.’ ‘But there’s the mission that we are on right now. … A lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East. This is the Western Hemisphere, and our mission here is very different.’

The administration’s caution also is shaped by a long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America, where American-backed coups and political engineering have left deep skepticism toward Washington’s motives. Installing an opposition leader immediately after a U.S. military operation, analysts warn, could revive those suspicions and undermine any transition before it begins.

‘If they were to bring María Machado and presumably Edmundo González back to the country and install them as president, it would look a lot like the United States installing a new president,’ said Eric O’Neill, a former FBI counterintelligence operative. ‘That would actually cause civil unrest.’

‘Venezuelans are proud people, and they need to elect their next president,’ O’Neill added.

But Garmendia said Rodríguez is ‘just as illegitimate as Maduro was — and probably even less popular.’ 

He said Rodríguez lacks the charisma and mass appeal that traditionally have sustained Venezuela’s ruling movement, and that her authority rests largely on internal bargaining and elite control rather than public support.

In the interim, locals have reports of armed gangs patrolling the streets. Venezuelan authorities have detained at least 14 journalists since Maduro’s capture, according to the union representing Venezuelan reporters. 

‘There’s going to be a lot of instability in the next couple of weeks,’ Garmendia said.

The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump views acquiring Greenland as a national security priority and that the use of the U.S. military remains an option as his administration weighs how to pursue control of the Arctic territory.

‘President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News. 

‘The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.’

The comments mark the clearest statement to date from the White House suggesting military force could be considered, as Trump renews pressure on Denmark over Greenland’s strategic role in U.S. defense and missile detection in the Arctic.

European leaders and Canada rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday following Trump’s renewed push to gain control of the Danish territory, according to Reuters. Leaders from France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said Greenland belongs to its people and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide the island’s future.

Arizona Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego also announced Tuesday a bill to stop Trump from invading ‘another country on a whim’ over Greenland after Operation Absolute Resolve captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

‘What’s happening in Venezuela shows us that we can’t just ignore Trump’s reckless threats. His dangerous behavior puts American lives and our global credibility at risk. I’m introducing this amendment to make it clear that Congress will not bankroll illegal, unnecessary military action, and to force Republicans to choose whether they’re going to finally stand up or keep enabling Trump’s chaos,’ Gallego said in a statement on the legislation.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who was named as Trump’s special envoy to Greenland last month, said in an interview with CNBC that ‘security should be a major concern for the United States.’

‘We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,’ Trump said during a press gaggle on Air Force One Monday. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement that he is dropping his re-election bid amid a massive fraud scandal in the state is raising questions about the vetting process he received to be Kamala Harris’ running mate. 

Following Walz’s Monday announcement that he will not run for re-election as the state faces a fraud scandal that prosecutors say could total as much as $9 billion, many on social media from both sides of the aisle wondered aloud why he was elevated to the presidential ticket despite the fraud concerns which date back to at least 2019 when he was elected governor. 

‘What did Kamala Harris’ veep vetting team know about Tim Walz, and when did they know it?’ Conservative commentator and columnist Josh Hammer posted on X. 

‘This will dog VP Harris and she will need to answer questions about Tim Walz and her answers need to be CLEAR.’ former Jill Biden Press Secretary Michael LaRosa posted on X. ‘If I were advising the former VP, I would put this to bed NOW and release a statement ASAP. Rip the Band-Aid off and get this behind her. Her judgment will be questioned and the trust she placed into those who vetted her VP options will also be questioned. How could they possibly have missed this?’

Harris released a statement later in the day wishing Walz the best and touting his ‘life in public service’ but did not specifically address the fraud scandal or vetting process.

‘The vetting clearly failed,’ retired Minnesota State Patrol Lt. John Nagel told Fox News Digital. Nagel is running for Congress as a Republican against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.

‘By the time Governor Tim Walz was selected, Minnesota’s fraud scandals were already public, already under federal investigation, and already raising serious questions about oversight. That wasn’t hidden information — it was an open and growing issue, despite a local media environment that protects Democrats.’ 

Former Obama-era attorney general Eric Holder was a key figure in the vetting process for the Harris campaign, and he defended his due diligence on Walz, telling CNN that ‘nothing of substance’ was missed in regard to Walz’s record, which Nagel told Fox News Digital ‘raised more questions than it answered’ given the visibility of fraud concerns. 

‘Either possibility is troubling,’ Nagel told Fox News Digital. ‘If Kamala Harris didn’t know, that points to a deeply flawed vetting process and an insane level of hubris. If she did know and proceeded anyway, that suggests accountability simply wasn’t a priority.’

Michael Ceraso, a veteran Democratic strategist, told Fox News Digital the Harris campaign was likely aware of the fraud reports, but internally compared it to Trump’s controversies and concluded it’s ‘not as bad.’

‘Maybe the standard was different because they understood who they were running against, and maybe they were blasé about it because they were looking at their opponent and saying, well, this may not be as comparable to this, and so we can excuse this because this guy over here has done X, Y, and Z,’ Ceraso explained.

Going forward, Ceraso said the Democratic Party could arguably ‘put itself in a position as being the values party’ by placing more emphasis on vetting issues on their own merits rather than comparing records to Trump. 

‘The Democratic Party needs to be better because we can all be better, but I think comparing ourselves to a president that we obviously disagree with morally and saying, well, we’re not as bad as that, but still let a multi-billion dollar corruption thing happen with no accountability. That’s still pretty bad.’

Nagel told Fox News Digital that if Harris decides to run for political office in the future that this issue will likely come up.

‘Voters deserve to know how decisions at the highest levels are made — and whether political considerations outweighed transparency and accountability,’ Nagel said. ‘Unfortunately, if Kamala decides to run in 2028, legacy media outlets will likely not press her on her choice of Walz. I expect that to only be raised in Democrat circles during a presidential debate during the primaries.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for comment.

Walz has also faced criticism in recent days for comments he made on the campaign trail touting childcare programs in Minnesota, suggesting it should be a model for the nation, even though the Feeding Our Future scandal had been bubbling for years.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., railed against President Donald Trump’s weekend strikes in Venezuela, but his criticism comes after a history of taking a softer approach to socialist dictators like former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Sanders, like several of his colleagues in the Senate Democratic caucus, argued that Trump’s decision to strike Venezuela’s capital Caracas without congressional approval broke the law and was another instance of the administration leapfrogging Congress’ war powers.

‘Donald Trump has, once again, shown his contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law,’ Sanders said in a statement. ‘The President of the United States does NOT have the right to unilaterally take this country to war, even against a corrupt and brutal dictator like Maduro.’

But the lawmaker’s decision to call Maduro a dictator is a shift. In previous years, Sanders has declined to place that label on him.

When Sanders was on the presidential campaign trail in 2019, he opted not to call Maduro a dictator, instead saying he would support an effort to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

‘I think it’s fair to say that the last election was undemocratic, but there are still Democratic operations taking place in that country,’ Sanders said during a town hall at the time. ‘The point is, what I’m calling for right now is an internationally supervised fair election.’

Maduro, who was first elected in 2013, is accused of human rights abuses and working with cartels and narco gangs in South America and Mexico to distribute illicit drugs into the U.S.

However, Sanders has often accused Trump of engaging in authoritarianism.

‘Under this administration, authoritarianism has taken root in our country,’ Sanders said on X in 2020. ‘As long as I am here, I will work with progressives, with moderates, and, yes, with conservatives to preserve this nation from a threat that so many of our heroes fought and died to defeat.’

The lawmaker has also been supportive of policies under former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. During his last presidential run, Sanders came under fire after a speech he made in the 1980s when he lauded the socialist policies installed by Castro and his regime.

Sanders was pressed on the speech during another town hall event on the campaign trail, where he noted that he had been consistently critical of authoritarian regimes across the globe.

Still, he contended that ‘there were a lot of folks in Cuba at that point who were illiterate. He formed the literacy brigade.’

‘You know what, I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing,’ Sanders said.

Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from Sanders’ office for comment.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., introduced legislation aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from invading Greenland on Tuesday.

Gallego announced the legislative push on X, saying Congress must stop Trump ‘before he invades another country on a whim.’ The bill is one of several Democrat-backed efforts seeking to stop Trump from taking military action against other countries following the capture of now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

‘Families are getting crushed by rising grocery and housing costs, inflation is up, and Trump’s name is all over the Epstein files. Instead of doing anything to fix those problems, Trump is trying to distract people by threatening to start wars and invade countries – first in Venezuela, and now against our NATO ally Denmark,’ Gallego said in a statement.

‘What’s happening in Venezuela shows us that we can’t just ignore Trump’s reckless threats. His dangerous behavior puts American lives and our global credibility at risk. I’m introducing this amendment to make it clear that Congress will not bankroll illegal, unnecessary military action, and to force Republicans to choose whether they’re going to finally stand up or keep enabling Trump’s chaos,’ he added.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One over the weekend that the U.S. needs Greenland, a Danish territory, for ‘national security.’

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller doubled down on Trump’s remarks on Monday, telling CNN that Greenland ‘should be part of the United States.’

CNN anchor Jake Tapper pressed Miller about whether the Trump administration could rule out military action to take the Arctic island.

‘Greenland has a population of 30,000 people,’ Miller said. ‘The real question is by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland. What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?’

‘The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the United States,’ he added.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Monday statement posted on Facebook that his country is ‘not an object of superpower rhetoric.’

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen argued that a U.S. takeover of Greenland would effectively destroy NATO.

‘But I also want to make it clear that if the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops. Including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War,’ she said.

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

The State Department has intensified its criticism of Iran’s regime on its Persian-language account since the outbreak of nationwide protests against the ayatollahs, mirroring President Donald Trump’s forceful warning to Tehran.

Trump recently posted, ‘If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP.’

‘President Trump’s latest truth social post regarding Iran speaks for itself,’ a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

The State Department’s reinforcement of Trump’s pledge to aid Iranian demonstrators comes amid reports that protesters had taken control of many streets in Abdanan, in Ilam province in western Iran, on Tuesday. They chanted ‘Death to Khamenei’ and ‘This year is a year of blood, Seyed Ali (Khamenei) will be overthrown,’ according to videos sent to Iran International news organization.

The State Department’s Persian-language account, @USABehFarsi, appeared to issue a stark warning to Iran’s totalitarian rulers. ‘President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know before, now you do. Don’t mess with President Trump.’ The black-and-white picture showed Trump with his leadership team watching elite U.S. army forces seize the former Iran-backed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Trump’s social media posts and the statements coming from the State Department’s account have emboldened Iranians both inside and outside of the country.

Potkin Azarmehr, a British-Iranian journalist, noted the contrast with previous administrations. ‘Well, what a contrast to Obama’s time when protesters in Iran in 2009 were angrily chanting, ‘Obama, are you with us or with them?’ Any international support, whether at grassroots level or government level is encouraging. Knowing that the world knows about you,’ he added that ‘The question is where are the Western activist elite protesters? Why are they not protesting? Are they on the side of the ayatollahs? An archaic religious apartheid?’

Iran analyst Alirzeza Nader said, ‘I think State is right to say that the alternative to the current regime will come from inside Iran. And that Iranians will choose their own leaders. Yes, it’s definitely better now. Unfortunately, the Obama and Biden administrations pushed the reformist line (the Reformist line espoused by Rouhani and Khatami). My advice to the Trump administration: stay neutral when it comes to the opposition’s leadership. Let Iranians figure it out.’

The former Iranian presidents, Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Khatami, promised mild reforms but remain wedded to the Islamic Republic of Iran — a regime that has been repeatedly classified by the State Department as a leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Nadav Mohebb, who worked as a Persian media analyst for the State Department’s Public Affairs Bureau, said about the State Department’s Persian-language X account that ‘During the Biden administration, this account was effectively turned into a ghost town and largely lost its relevance and impact.’

He said, ‘Following President Trump’s recent tweet, we have seen a renewed level of activity reminiscent of his first term — an approach that has again drawn the attention of Iranians. Trump’s message effectively removed the account’s excessive caution, and over the past four days its anti-regime tone has noticeably intensified.’

Mohebb said, ‘The account should avoid involvement in opposition infighting, remain sensitive to Iranian public sentiment, and operate in alignment with the prevailing mood of Persian Twitter. I hope Trump’s warning message to the regime will serve as a catalyst for upgrading the messaging strategy of this account and restoring its former effectiveness.’

Reza Parchizadeh, an Iranian-American expert on the regime, said, ‘The State Department’s Persian-language account is performing effectively. Its messaging is deliberately structured to project a sense of American support and hope toward Iranian protesters, while also attempting to reflect the breadth and diversity of protest activity rather than treating it episodically or selectively. In itself, this represents a notable shift in approach.’

He noted, ‘The Obama era was fundamentally different in orientation and intent. That administration prioritized reaching a diplomatic accommodation with the Islamic Republic and reintegrating the regime into the international system. Within that framework, popular protests and organized opposition inside Iran were largely downplayed by the State Department in order to avoid complicating negotiations or signaling regime vulnerability.’

House Republicans’ investigation into fraud within Minnesota’s social programs is likely to expand, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital.

‘We need to know how deep this fraud in taxpayer-funded programs runs, not just in Minnesota, but across the country. The House Oversight Committee will expand its investigation to other states, because waste, fraud, and abuse cannot be tolerated anywhere,’ Comer said Tuesday.

The House Oversight Committee is probing allegations that federal and state funds were misused in Minnesota, an investigation that’s thrust top officials in the state government under scrutiny.

It’s also proved to be a potent political cudgel for Republicans against progressive leaders like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Both were summoned to Capitol Hill by Comer, who is holding a pair of high-profile hearings in the coming weeks while the federal government investigates allegations of fraud.

The first such event, taking place on Wednesday, will feature testimony from three Republicans in the state legislature. Walz and Ellison were summoned for a follow-up hearing on Feb. 10.

Comer said he would use the probe ‘as a blueprint to expand oversight and pursue accountability in other states’ as well.

It comes after Walz announced he would drop his bid for a third term as governor on Monday, citing the fervor around the fraud investigations.

‘Every minute that I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity, and the cynics who want to prey on our differences,’ Walz said.

Walz previously said his administration has taken steps to crack down on the fraud, but argued federal officials are overinflating and politicizing the scope of the damage.

But Comer said Walz still ‘needs to testify under oath about what he knew, and when he knew it, about this massive fraud and money-laundering operation.’

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.

However, the probe has since widened to multiple state-run programs being investigated for potential fraud.

Childcare providers receiving state funding, mainly within the Somali community, are also under scrutiny.

President Donald Trump floated that all presidents and vice presidents should take cognitive tests, days after bragging that he successfully completed a third cognitive exam. 

Trump, 79, has frequently taken aim at former President Joe Biden amid multiple books and reports detailing the decline of Biden’s mental faculties while in office, and similarly cast doubt on whether other Democrats could pass a cognitive test. 

‘Do you think Walz could pass a cognitive test … Do you think Kamala could?’ Trump said Tuesday at the Kennedy Center for the House GOP Member Retreat. ‘I don’t think Gavin could. He’s got a good line of crap, but other than that, he couldn’t pass.’ 

Trump was referring to former Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Spokespeople for Harris and Walz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

In response to a request for comment, Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon replied to Fox News Digital: ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.’ 

Trump’s statements come after he claimed he ‘ACED’ another cognitive examination, and backs mandatory cognitive exams to prevent ”STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!’ from leading the country. 

‘The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,’ Trump posted to Truth Social Friday.

Trump also said Tuesday that he faces a catch-22 when it comes to completing a medical exam — or not — amid recent questions surrounding his health. For example, concern has stemmed from bruising on his hands and reports regarding swollen ankles. 

‘If I don’t do a medical exam, they say, ‘Trump’s not doing an exam. There must be something wrong with him.’ If I do the exam, they say, ‘Why did he do this? Why did he do this part of an exam? He did too much. There’s something wrong with him,’’ Trump said. 

Trump’s comments come as he clarified to The Wall Street Journal in a piece published Thursday that he received a CT scan, and not a more thorough, time-consuming MRI scan, for a medical examination he underwent in October. Trump said in the interview that he regrets taking the CT scan because it provided ‘ammunition’ to those who have questioned his overall health. 

The October visit came after Trump’s annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Afterward, White House physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, claimed that the president ‘remains in excellent health.’

Meanwhile, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed questions about Trump’s bruised hands and attributed the markings in July to ‘frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.’ Likewise, she said that Trump’s swollen legs are a ‘benign and common condition’ that sometimes plagues those over the age of 70. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Health insurance companies are being summoned to Capitol Hill for a pair of blockbuster hearings as Americans across the country deal with rising costs for their care, Fox News Digital is first to learn.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees health policy, and the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, are both holding hearings on the rising cost of healthcare in the U.S.

It’s not immediately clear which companies will be represented or if they will allow executives to appear voluntarily.

But the announcement appears to be the House GOP’s move to counter-program an expected vote this week on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies that expired at the end of 2025.

Obamacare subsidies were expanded in 2020 and 2021 to be available to more people during the COVID-19 pandemic, but then-Democratic majorities in Congress were only able to extend those for a finite period of time.

Whether to extend those subsidies was the subject of fierce debate on Capitol Hill in the waning months of 2025.

The vast majority of Republicans are opposed to extending the subsidies, dismissing them as a pandemic-era relic that’s part of a broken federal healthcare system.

Republicans have also argued that the subsidies only eased costs for 7% of Americans and did nothing to tackle the root causes of high healthcare costs.

But the moderate GOP lawmakers and Democrats who support extending the program have pointed out that an extension would give Congress more time to work on a more permanent solution to healthcare while avoiding the cost cliff seen at the end of last year.

A small group of moderate Republicans joined Democrats in late December to successfully force a vote on a three-year extension, which is taking place on Thursday.

The legislation is likely dead on arrival in the Senate if it passes, however.

House Republicans passed a healthcare bill just before leaving Washington for their two-week holiday break in December.

The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act includes provisions to codify association health plans, which allow small businesses and people who are self-employed to band together to purchase healthcare coverage plans, giving them access to greater bargaining power.

Republicans also plan to appropriate funding for cost-sharing reductions beginning in 2027, which are designed to lower out-of-pocket medical costs in the individual healthcare market. House GOP leadership aides said it would bring down the cost of premiums by 12%.

As Venezuela enters the post-Nicolas Maduro era, former officials and regional experts warn the country may be facing not a democratic transition, but a period of deeper instability and internal conflict between possible successors that some warn could be even worse than Maduro.

Marshall Billingslea, the former assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes in the U.S. Treasury Department, said Maduro’s removal has exposed a fractured system that was never held together by a single strongman, but by competing criminal power centers now moving independently.

‘The cartel has always been a loose association, with each of the mafia bosses having their own centers of gravity,’ Billingslea said. ‘Maduro was the frontman, but he didn’t exercise total control. Now we’re seeing each of those centers spinning off on their own.’

Billingslea said the capture of Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife, was as consequential as Maduro’s removal itself.

‘The capture of Cilia Flores is a particularly big deal because she was the brains behind the operation and the one who cleared out potential rivals,’ he said. ‘Her removal is equally significant.’

Billingslea outlined what he described as five competing power centers, four within the regime and one outside it. ‘The removal of Maduro, and particularly the removal of Cilia Flores, leaves a huge power vacuum in the cartel,’ he said. ‘We haven’t yet reached a new equilibrium here.’

In the interim, he foresees a high risk of internal power struggles, violence and further repression as rival factions maneuver to secure control in a post-Maduro Venezuela. But he notes that the Trump administration anticipates this and is executing a clear-eyed strategy to first secure U.S. core interests, followed by the gradual restoration of democracy, all without needing American ‘boots on the ground.’

Delcy Rodríguez takes over, but power remains contested

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s longtime vice president, was quickly installed as interim leader. But her rise has done little to reassure Venezuelans or international observers that meaningful change is coming.

Rodríguez is deeply embedded in the Maduro system and has long played a central role in overseeing Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security apparatus. According to regional reporting, her focus since taking office has been consolidating control within those institutions rather than signaling political reform.

Former U.S. and regional officials say Delcy Rodríguez’s rise has revived long-standing questions about who truly influences her decisions as she moves to consolidate power.

Those officials point to Rodríguez’s deep ties with Cuban intelligence, which helped build and operate Venezuela’s internal security and surveillance apparatus over the past two decades. Cuban operatives played a central role in shaping how the regime monitored dissent and protected senior leadership, embedding themselves inside Venezuela’s intelligence services.

At the same time, former officials say Rodríguez appears to be testing cooperation with Washington, creating uncertainty over how much leverage the United States actually holds. Some view her limited engagement with U.S. demands as tactical, aimed at buying time while she works to secure loyalty inside the regime and neutralize rival factions.

A former Venezuelan official previously told Fox News Digital that Rodríguez ‘hates the West’ and represents continuity with the Maduro regime, not a break from it.

Cabello mobilizes loyalists

Diosdado Cabello, one of the most feared figures in the country, has emerged as a central player in the post-Maduro scramble for control.

Cabello, who wields influence over the ruling party and interior security, has been rallying armed colectivos and loyalist groups. Those groups have been active in the streets, detaining opponents and reinforcing regime authority through intimidation.

Sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for corruption and alleged ties to drug-trafficking networks, Cabello is widely viewed as a figure capable of consolidating power through force rather than institutions.

Jorge Rodríguez holds the levers of control

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and brother of Delcy Rodríguez, remains one of the regime’s most important political operators.

Rodríguez has served as a key strategist for Maduro, overseeing communications, elections and internal coordination. Recent reporting indicates he continues to work closely with his sister to maintain control over intelligence and security structures, reinforcing the regime’s grip despite Maduro’s removal.

Experts say Rodríguez could play a central role in shaping any managed transition that preserves the system Maduro built.

Padrino López

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, long considered the backbone of Maduro’s survival, remains a critical figure as well.

While Padrino López has not publicly positioned himself as a successor, analysts note that the armed forces are no longer unified behind a single leader. Senior generals are split across competing factions, raising the risk of internal clashes or a shift toward overt military rule if civilian authority weakens further.

Beyond the power struggle among regime elites, Venezuela faces a broader danger.

Large parts of the country are already influenced by criminal syndicates and armed groups. As centralized authority weakens, those actors could exploit the vacuum, expanding control over territory and smuggling routes.

Experts warned that an uncontrolled collapse could unleash forces more violent and less predictable than Maduro’s centralized repression, and the events unfolding now suggest that risk is growing.

Outside the regime, opposition leader María Corina Machado remains the most popular political figure among Venezuelan voters. But popularity alone may not be enough to translate into power.

Machado lacks control over security forces, intelligence agencies or armed groups. As repression intensifies and rival factions maneuver, her ability to convert public support into political authority remains uncertain.

Maduro’s fall, analysts say, did not dismantle Venezuela’s power structure. It fractured it.

With armed loyalists in the streets, rival factions competing behind the scenes, and an interim leader struggling to assert authority, Venezuela now faces a dangerous period in which the aftermath of Maduro’s rule could prove more chaotic — and potentially more brutal — than what came before, experts say. For Venezuelans, the question is no longer whether Maduro is gone, but whether anything that replaces him will be better.