Interior Secretary Doug Burgum landed in Caracas on Wednesday alongside executives from more than a dozen mining and investment companies as the Trump administration seeks access to Venezuela’s vast array of natural resources.
The secretary is traveling with people from 15 U.S. and Canadian mining companies, including executives from the coal giant Peabody, the investment firm Orion Resources, TechMet, Ivanhoe Mines and the commodities firm Hartree Partners, according to an industry official familiar with the trip and granted anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly.
The trip follows the January military capture of the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, who is currently charged in federal court with drug trafficking. Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez has been working with the Trump administration.
Burgum, who leads the National Energy Dominance Council, is the second Cabinet member to visit the South American country, after Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited last month. Bloomberg first reported the Burgum visit, which a White House official confirmed.
