The United States this week escalated its pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime by seizing a sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast — a move that underscores President Donald Trump’s willingness to wield energy as a foreign-policy weapon. POLITICO’s James Bikales unpacks what’s behind the dramatic seizure, how it fits into Trump’s broader strategy, and why oil traders are closely watching what the administration does next. Plus, the Republican-led House passed a trio of bills aimed at speeding up permitting for energy projects and bolstering power grid reliability.

Josh Siegel is the host of POLITICO Energy and a congressional energy reporter for POLITICO.

James Bikales is an oil and gas reporter for POLITICO.

Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and producer of POLITICO Energy.

Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.

Ben Lefebvre is the deputy energy editor at POLITICO.

Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.

For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch

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