（彭博社）参议员乔·曼钦（Joe Manchin）谴责拜登政府取消对 委内瑞拉石油和天然气行业制裁的决定， 认为美国应该转向国内原油生产来填补任何缺口。
资料来源：世界石油
曼钦在周四一场无关的参议院听证会开始时表示，政府正在寻求“世界上最肮脏的能源生产国和本国人民的压迫者来帮助弥补他们拒绝允许在美国进行的生产”。 。曼钦强调，在解除制裁之前，政府发布了数十年来最小的未来五年海上石油和天然气租赁计划。
周三晚间宣布的为期六个月的制裁暂停被视为与委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗与政治对手会谈相关的善意姿态。但作为关键的温和派民主党人和参议院摇摆票的曼钦对此表示怀疑。
虽然政府认为这将鼓励委内瑞拉进行民主改革，但“我们已经尝试过了，但我们以前失败过，”他说。“在不良行为者真正采取你想要的行动之前奖励他们是毫无意义的。我们在伊朗身上尝试过这样做，现在我们又在委内瑞拉了。”
(Bloomberg) – Senator Joe Manchin condemned the Biden administration’s decision to lift sanctions against Venezuela’s oil and gas sector, arguing the U.S. should instead turn to domestic crude production to fill any shortfall.
Source: World Oil
The administration is looking to “one of the world’s dirtiest energy producers and an oppressor of its own people to help make up the production that they refuse to allow in America,” Manchin said at the start of an unrelated Senate hearing Thursday. The sanctions relief follows the issuance of the government’s smallest plan in decades for offshore oil and gas leasing during the next five years, Manchin stressed.
The six-month sanction suspension announced late Wednesday was cast as a goodwill gesture tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s talks with political opponents. But Manchin, a key moderate Democrat and swing vote in the Senate, expressed skepticism.
While the administration believes this will encourage Venezuela to make democratic reforms, “that has been tried, and we’ve failed before,” he said. “It makes no sense at all to reward bad actors before they actually take the action you want. We tried that with Iran, and now here we are with Venezuela.”