Congressional members from both parties are pressing the Trump administration to explain what it has done with the billions of dollars generated from Venezuelan oil sales after the United States assumed control of the country's petroleum exports earlier this year, according to reports.
The Financial Times reported the Trump administration has collected an estimated $13 billion in revenue from Venezuelan oil exports since January, when U.S. forces captured former President Nicolas Maduro and installed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the country's leader.
Lawmakers from both parties are now seeking greater transparency over how those funds are being managed.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., called for public reports detailing where the money is going, emphasizing "the importance of transparency."
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, accused the administration of keeping Congress "in the dark" about the funds.
The administration has offered differing explanations for the revenue.
A January executive order described the U.S. role as acting in a "custodial" capacity, holding the money on behalf of Venezuela.
President Donald Trump, however, has also touted the financial windfall, saying the United States has recovered the cost of its military operation many times over and is "making a lot of money" from Venezuelan oil.
State Department officials have said billions of dollars have been disbursed to Venezuela for government payroll, oil industry operations, and, more recently, earthquake recovery efforts.
Treasury officials have maintained that financial monitoring is in place to ensure the funds benefit the Venezuelan people.
Despite those assurances, economists say Venezuela's economy has recovered more slowly than expected.
Francisco Rodríguez of the Center for Economic and Policy Research told the Financial Times the muted growth suggests the U.S. has not transferred all of the increased oil revenue back to Caracas.
Former Venezuelan lawmaker José Guerra similarly questioned the whereabouts of the money, saying there has been "no transparency."
In June, the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations noted that the Trump administration has released few public details about how oil revenues are collected, managed, or distributed, despite congressional testimony promising audits and periodic reports.
The think tank said lawmakers have raised concerns about oversight and accountability while calling for clearer plans linking sanctions relief to democratic reforms in Venezuela.
The controversy comes as Venezuela continues recovering from devastating earthquakes that caused an estimated $37 billion in damage.
The Trump administration has pledged humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance while maintaining that continued control of the oil revenues gives Washington leverage to encourage political and economic reforms in the South American nation.