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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Senator Rick Scott reiterated his call for a $100 million bounty for Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro amid an escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas.
In an X post on Tuesday, the Florida Republican called for the speedy passage of his proposed legislation against Maduro on the same day as President Donald Trump announced the U.S. had carried out a strike on a drug-carrying speedboat that had departed Venezuela, killing 11 "narco terrorists."
Scott had introduced the Stop Maduro Act in September 2024 which had among its aims, a push to increase the maximum reward amount from $15 million to $100 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro, a man whom Washington does not consider to be the South American country's legitimate leader following disputed elections.
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Newsweek has contacted the Venezuelan foreign ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Trump said the speedboat targeted in the recent attack was operated by members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. earlier this year, which Washington says is controlled by Maduro.
Caracas denies this.
Tuesday's strike marked an intensification of U.S.–Venezuela tensions and sends a warning to the region about the Trump administration's crackdown on drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Scott's post adds to the pressure on Caracas.
What To Know
At the end of last month, the U.S. deployed warships, marines, and a nuclear submarine off Venezuela's coast as part of the Trump administration's anti‑cartel push.
On Monday, Maduro accused the U.S. of belligerence and threatened to launch an "armed struggle" and would fight any attempted American military intervention.
On Tuesday, Scott shared on X Maduro's warning to the U.S., adding, "Maduro and his thugs' threats are yet another reason why we must pass my STOP MADURO Act."
This refers to the bill he introduced with Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, to increase the bounty for the Venezuelan president to $100 million, using seized assets.
The White House had recently increased the reward to $50 million.
After Scott made the post, Trump announced that U.S. military had sunk a speedboat in the southern Caribbean he said was carrying drugs from Venezuela which was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.
However, Venezuela's information minister, Freddy Ñáñez, said on Telegram it was "highly likely" that the video of the strike was AI generated, without providing evidence for the claim.
Maduro Targeted
Democratic countries including the U.S. recognize Edmundo González as the legitimate leader of Venezuela following last year's elections in which Maduro claimed victory. As such, the White House portrays Maduro not as president, but as the leader of a "narco‑terror cartel."
The Trump administration has also pledged to crack down on drug trafficking, with a focus on fentanyl and Latin American gangs in particular and designated groups like Tren de Aragua, El Salvador's MS‑13, and Mexican cartels, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
This could allow for U.S. military action abroad without the need for traditional war declarations, framing cartel activity as a national security threat rather than just a law‑enforcement issue.
In July, The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist group headed by Maduro.
Sanctions expert Brett Erickson told Newsweek in July the U.S. Treasury's FEND Off Fentanyl designations, and executive orders targeting Maduro's regime, were part of a deliberate shift in U.S. policy in which a financial war on cartels is executed through sovereign and financial (denial of liquidity) pressure.
"These aren't just drug designations. They're sovereignty-adjacent actions, redefining how Treasury treats states that operate as criminal ecosystems," added Erickson, advisor to Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
What People Are Saying
Senator Rick Scott on X: "Maduro and his thugs' threats are yet another reason why we must pass my STOP MADURO Act and raise his bounty to $100,000,000 ASAP."
President Donald Trump on Wednesday: "US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility...pease let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!"
Senator Scott later posted: "Thanks to @POTUS and @SecRubio Maduro and his thugs know that their anarchy and their evils will not be tolerated!"
What Happens Next
Caracas has rejected Trump's claims about the strike and there will be anticipation over what Maduro's next move will be and what will happen with the U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean.
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