If it is officially declared a coup, which the government has not yet done in any of their statements on the matter, it would legally require the US to stop foreign aid to the country. The State Department legal office is studying this determination and is likely to take the lead on the matter, officials said.
There is no legal obligation for the US to formally declare a military takeover as a coup, but the government will make that decision if it deems it in the interest of US national security to do so.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday that the military seizing power and holding Aung San Suu Kyi over the weekend was a “direct attack on the country’s transition to democracy and the rule of law” and that it was “an immediate overhaul of our sanctions laws. and authorities, followed by appropriate action. “
An interinstitutional meeting of the Deputy Committee of the National Security Council will be convening in Myanmar on Monday afternoon and officials are expected to discuss sanctions they could use to respond to the military takeover, two State Department officials said.
The State Department did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The Biden administration could roll out sanctions this week, but their decision to pull the trigger will likely be influenced by the desire to stand alongside allies. They are working to get a sense of how quickly other countries want to move alongside them, the officials said.
This story breaks and will be updated.