Venezuela sanctions rules are now officially on the books, after being in force for months
What happened
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control formally published two general licenses for Venezuela sanctions. These licenses were already in effect, allowing specific transactions that would otherwise be forbidden.
Why it matters
This document is a formal record of two general licenses the US Treasury Department already issued. It does not change any current sanctions policy or allow new transactions. The licenses themselves were the change, not their publication in the Federal Register.
The signal
This document formalizes existing rules. The actual impact of these licenses was felt when they were first posted online.