WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration is considering an executive order in response to the military takeover in Myanmar and potentially targeted sanctions on individuals and military-controlled entities, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.
Sullivan said there was bipartisan support on Myanmar, and the administration believed it could work with Congress “on a package of sanctions to impose consequences in response to this coup.”
“We will also be working with allies and partners around the world,” he told a White House news briefing.
“We are reviewing the possibility of a new executive order and we are also looking at specific targeted sanctions, both on individuals and on entities controlled by the military that enrich the military,” Sullivan said.
Myanmar military ruler General Min Aung Hlaing has moved quickly to consolidate his hold after overthrowing elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and detaining her and allied politicians on Monday.
Biden on Monday pledged to “stand up for democracy” and threatened to re-impose sanctions on Myanmar gradually rolled back by former President Barack Obama.
U.S. officials said this week the U.S. State Department would conduct a review of its foreign assistance to Myanmar.
(Reporting by Reporting by Alex Alper, Susan Heavey, David Brunnstrom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
