FDD Action’s Senior Director of Government Relations Connor Pfeiffer analyzed Secretary Rubio’s three-step approach to Venezuela—stabilize, recover, transition—emphasizing the critical need for sustained U.S. engagement to ensure democratic transition. Pfeiffer noted that while Delcy Rodriguez assumes interim leadership, “the regime that surrounded Maduro is still in place,” requiring Rodriguez to balance Trump administration demands against internal resistance. He stressed that “continued U.S. leverage and engagement is critical to ensure things do keep moving in a positive direction,” arguing that only a democratically elected, stable government can deliver the outcomes the administration seeks.