The Venezuelan government Thursday condemned what it claimed US meddling in its internal affairs after Washington criticized a new law that expands the powers of President Nicolas Maduro.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday blasted a new law that grants Maduro the power to rule by decree for a year as an emergency measure to fight corruption and deal with economic problems.

Acknowledging that the so-called Enabling Law was constitutional, Psaki said "that doesn't make it okay."

The comments by Psaki is a new instance of meddling in Venezuela," Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the comments only show Washington's "serious ignorance of our country's reality and legal framework, especially of our Constitution, which enables the president to govern by decree."