The clearest answer is about $13 billion in gross Venezuelan oil revenue since U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026. But that is not the same as $13 billion in profit for the United States.
The figure comes from a Financial Times calculation using Kpler shipment data and available pricing, including estimates for cargoes whose final prices were not public. It is not an audited balance released by the Trump administration, and it does not include revenue from Venezuelan mining exports that U.S. officials have said also enters the arrangement.
Most importantly, President Donald Trump's January 9 executive order describes the oil proceeds as Venezuela's sovereign property held by the U.S. government in a custodial capacity. No public accounting currently shows how much, if anything, the U.S. Treasury has kept as net income.
The $13 billion answer
After Maduro's capture, Washington took control of the mechanism used to market and collect payment for Venezuelan crude. The Energy Department said sales would begin with roughly 30 million to 50 million barrels and continue indefinitely. It also said proceeds would first settle in U.S.-controlled accounts at globally recognized banks.
By July 22, the Financial Times estimated that those sales had generated more than $13 billion. That number measures the value of oil revenue collected through the U.S.-run system. It does not subtract production costs, shipping, trader fees, infrastructure spending, aid, transfers to Venezuela or any other authorized disbursement.
That distinction changes the answer to the question of what America has "made." The U.S. has controlled the collection of about $13 billion, based on the best public estimate. The amount the U.S. government has actually earned or retained for itself remains undisclosed and may be zero under the legal framework the White House published.
What the rules say happens to the cash
The executive order says the funds are not U.S. property and cannot be used for commercial activity in the United States. It directs Treasury to label them as Venezuelan sovereign property and allows the secretary of state to determine disbursements for public, governmental or diplomatic purposes on Venezuela's behalf.
That is narrower than the Energy Department's earlier January 7 fact sheet, which said the money would be disbursed at U.S. discretion for the benefit of both the American and Venezuelan people. The two documents leave Washington with broad control while creating ambiguity over what an American benefit may legally look like.
Treasury guidance later required royalties, fixed per-barrel levies and Venezuelan federal taxes tied to licensed oil operations to flow into the Foreign Government Deposit Funds. Local taxes, permits and fees could still be paid directly to Venezuelan authorities.
What has been publicly traced
Public disclosure has not kept pace with the sales. On February 3, a U.S. official told Reuters that all $500 million from the initial oil sale had been returned to Venezuela so the government could pay teachers, firefighters and police and avoid a collapse in public services.
Separately, the Financial Times reported that a Venezuelan government website created to track revenue from U.S.-run oil sales showed only one entry: a $300 million transfer in March. Those figures may cover different transfers and periods, but the mismatch shows why neither the account balance nor total disbursements can be reconstructed from public records.
U.S. officials have said billions reached Venezuela and that oil-account money has supported reconstruction after the June 24 earthquakes. They have not published a transaction-level ledger showing the opening balance, each sale, fees, authorized transfers and the amount still held. The United Nations has estimated direct earthquake damage to buildings and infrastructure at $37 billion, increasing pressure for disclosure.
Why Congress is asking questions
Calls for oversight now cross party lines. Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar asked for public reports on the funds at a July 21 hearing, according to the Financial Times. Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said Congress was being kept in the dark.
The questions began months earlier. Senators introduced the Venezuela Oil Proceeds Transparency Act in February to require a Government Accountability Office audit of the energy deal, including the accounts used, proceeds received, expenses paid and ultimate beneficiaries.
Bottom line
About $13 billion is the best current estimate of Venezuelan oil revenue collected under U.S. control since Maduro's capture. It is a gross-receipts estimate, not a verified U.S. profit figure. The administration's own order says the money belongs to Venezuela, while the public record does not yet reveal how much remains in custody, how much has been returned or whether any portion has produced a direct financial gain for the United States.
