TIWN
Washington, May 3 (IANS) US President Donald Trump's administration is looking for ways to financially bolster Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised by Washington as the country's interim president, with an influx of cash, which could involve freeing up frozen assets or loans.
The initiative is meant to help Guaido pay Venezuelan military and government workers, three US officials have told CNN, part of a broader effort to shatter embattled President Nicolas Maduro's hold on power, which one senior administration official said is shrinking.
"They are trying to figure out how do you help the interim government be able to provide paychecks, that kind of stuff, so that there is an ability to say, 'hey we are a functioning government,'" a senior Republican aide on Capitol Hill told CNN, speaking on background to discuss internal administration deliberations. "That would include payments to various people, including those in the military."
The administration is considering a variety of ways of getting funding and humanitarian aid to the 35-year-old Guaido, the Hill source said.
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