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The United States did what was necessary to hold one of the hemisphere’s most dangerous predators to account when President Nicolás Maduro was captured during the U.S. operation on January 3, 2026, and flown to face justice in American courts. This was the kind of decisive action Americans expect from a commander-in-chief who puts national security and the rule of law first, not endless diplomatic handwringing. Our men and women in uniform executed a mission that finally confronted a regime built on terror, corruption and drug-running.
But patriots should be honest-eyed about what matters at the gas pump: this dramatic law-enforcement victory will not magically shave dimes off every American’s fill-up tomorrow. Energy analysts have been blunt that Venezuela’s current oil output is tiny relative to global production, and that rebuilding the country’s capacity would take years — meaning any relief at the pump is a long-game prospect, not an immediate windfall. Americans deserve straight talk from leaders, not the kind of quick-fix promises politicians peddle to win headlines.
Let’s be clear about why: decades of mismanagement, theft, and deliberate neglect destroyed Venezuela’s once-mighty oil industry. The fields, refineries and pipelines are battered and need enormous capital, skilled management and time to restore output; Venezuelan crude is also heavy and expensive to refine, so it’s not a simple plug-and-play solution for U.S. refineries. Anyone telling you American motorists will feel a sudden drop in price because Maduro was removed is either naive or playing politics rather than policy.
Global market forces will make sure no one player controls prices, and OPEC+’s recent decision to hold output steady into the first quarter of 2026 shows how coordinated producers can blunt any short-term impact from a single country coming back online. If cartel members choose to constrain supply, or if producers in the Middle East and elsewhere respond to volatility by holding back barrels, American consumers won’t automatically benefit from Venezuela’s potential future output. Energy is geopolitics — and geopolitics rarely bows to one-off headlines.
The reality at the pump right now undercuts the fevered political rhetoric: average U.S. prices are already lower than many feared, and forecasters say 2026 could be the first year since 2020 with an annual average below three dollars per gallon — a sign that broad market factors, not regime change in Caracas, drive Americans’ costs. That’s the context voters should keep in mind when politicians promise instant relief. Sound energy policy, not stunts, is what keeps prices affordable.
Which brings us to the American solution: instead of rushing to promise Venezuelan oil will solve our problems, Washington should double down on true energy independence — open access to safe drilling, streamline permitting for refineries and pipelines, and secure supply chains so we’re not hostage to foreign cartels or fickle diplomacy. Conservatives have long argued that free markets, secure borders and an all-of-the-above energy strategy protect families from sticker shock at the pump; today’s events only underscore that reality. No foreign victory will substitute for domestic competence.
So applaud the courage of our armed forces and the administration for holding a criminal regime to account, but don’t buy the fairy tale that this single move instantly delivers cheap gas to hardworking Americans. Victory in the courtrooms and a hopeful future for Venezuela are worthy goals, but Americans should demand policies that deliver reliable, long-term energy affordability here at home.
