President Donald Trump says "to the victor belong the spoils" to justify the United States' seizure and control of Venezuelan oil. He boasted that the initial conflict lasted only 48 minutes and that the U.S. has already recouped its wartime expenses "many, many, many times" over. The U.S. government has seized and generated more than $13 billion from the sale of Venezuelan crude oil since taking control of the country's exports in January 2026, per FT. Only about $300 million has been officially and publicly traced as returned back to Caracas. The funds are being kept in a dedicated U.S. Treasury account. According to statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the money moves through a Citibank account and is audited by the accounting firm KPMG. Congressional Democrats, led by House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, escalated an investigation into the administration. They are demanding a full, transparent accounting of the $13+ billion, calling the lack of congressional oversight a "black box."