Officially declaring a coup, which the government has not yet done in any of its statements on the subject, would legally compel the United States to cut foreign assistance to the country. The State Department legal office is studying this determination and is likely to take the lead in this matter, officials said.
There is no legal requirement for the United States to formally declare a military coup as a coup, but the government will make that determination if it considers it in the interest of US national security to do so.
President Joe Biden said in a statement on Monday that the seizure of power by the military and the arrest of 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 “will require an immediate review of sanctioning laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action.”
An interinstitutional meeting of the National Security Council’s deputy committee will be held on Monday afternoon in Myanmar and officials must discuss the sanctions they can use to respond to the military takeover, said two State Department officials.
The State Department did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The Biden government may implement sanctions later this week, but its decision to pull the trigger is likely to be affected by a desire to move alongside allies. They are working to get a sense of how fast other countries want to move alongside them, officials said.
This story is emerging and will be updated.