Is there a list of senators receiving money from Venezuela
Executive summary
There is no single, authoritative public list in the provided reporting that catalogues U.S. senators “receiving money from Venezuela.” Available sources document extensive U.S. legislative activity on Venezuela — including bipartisan bills like the VALOR Act and multiple war‑powers resolutions — but they do not report a roster of senators receiving Venezuelan funds (available sources do not mention a list of senators receiving money from Venezuela) [1] [2] [3].
1. What reporting actually shows: legislation and oversight, not pay‑to‑play
Recent coverage in the supplied documents focuses on senators sponsoring or opposing legislation about Venezuela: the VALOR Act was introduced by Michael Bennet, Jim Risch and others to promote democracy in Venezuela [1] [2]; separate bipartisan efforts in both chambers have sought to constrain unilateral U.S. military action related to Venezuela, with sponsors including Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff, Rand Paul, Chuck Schumer and others [4] [5] [6]. Those pieces record public policy positions and votes, not financial ties to the Venezuelan government [1] [2] [6].
2. What people sometimes mean by “receiving money from Venezuela”
Observers who ask this question typically mean one of three things: direct campaign contributions from Venezuelan officials or state entities; payments or services from private Venezuelan‑linked actors; or indirect benefits such as contracts or grants tied to Venezuelan interests. The documents supplied discuss U.S. assistance levels and sanctions policy — e.g., U.S. funding requests for Venezuela programs ($50–$55 million for FY2023 appear in CRS summaries) — but do not tie those appropriations to individual senators receiving foreign funds [7].
3. What the sources explicitly document about money and influence
The Congress/CRS material notes U.S. appropriations and policy debates — for instance, FY2023 requests and committee proposals for $50–$55 million in Venezuela programming — which illustrate how Congress funds Venezuela‑related work but do not represent payments to senators themselves [7]. Press releases from senators and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee describe sponsorship of laws and public statements but contain no reporting of Venezuelan payments to lawmakers [1] [2].
4. Accountability mechanisms that matter — and what reporting shows they’re doing
Multiple outlets report senators using oversight tools: introducing legislation to prohibit federal funds for an unauthorized war in Venezuela (Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley) and pushing war‑powers resolutions to force votes or constrain executive action (Schumer, Kaine, Schiff, Paul) [5] [4] [6]. These are examples of formal congressional mechanisms to shape U.S. policy toward Venezuela, not evidence of senators being financed by Venezuela [5] [6].
5. Where to look next if you want to verify individual ties
The supplied reporting does not provide a list of alleged payments. To investigate individual financial ties you would typically consult campaign finance disclosures (FEC records), senators’ personal financial disclosure reports, and investigative reporting tying named entities to Venezuelan state actors — none of which are in the current documents. Therefore: available sources do not mention FEC or disclosure entries showing senators paid by Venezuela (available sources do not mention such entries) [7].
6. Competing narratives and why they matter
The documents show competing political narratives: many senators frame Venezuela policy as defending democracy and human rights (VALOR Act sponsors) while others press the Senate and White House to avoid unauthorized military escalation (Kaine, Paul, Schiff, Schumer) [1] [2] [5] [6]. These policy disputes can fuel accusations of improper influence, but the supplied sources do not substantiate claims that senators received money from Venezuela — they instead document policy disagreement and legislative action [1] [2] [6].
7. Bottom line and limitations
In the documents provided there is no published list or credible reporting showing U.S. senators have been paid by Venezuela; reporting instead catalogues bills, resolutions and appropriations debates related to Venezuela [1] [2] [7] [5] [6]. If you want proof of payments or influence, current sources here do not supply it; you would need to consult campaign finance records, financial disclosures and investigative journalism beyond these items (available sources do not mention those records).