The U.S. government employs a sizable staff of 150 Venezuelans and spends upward of $6.7 million annually for upkeep of the shuttered American embassy and other diplomatic properties in Caracas, despite having broken relations with President Nicolás Maduro’s government in 2019.

The deadly strike on a boat U.S. officials say was carrying drugs from Venezuela may have marked a stunning shift, but escalating pressure on the South American country has defined much of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s quarter-century in politics.

Donald Trump in his return to the White House has already previewed his second term foreign policy approach: Talk loudly and wield a big stick.