Biden administration authorizes new sanctions to target hostage takers abroad

The Biden administration announced a new sanctions authorization Tuesday to target those complicit in hostage taking or wrongful detentions of Americans in an effort to bring those Americans home. But some families of American hostages, who were apprised of the executive action before it was announced, were unimpressed and viewed the White House outreach to them as a cynical ploy.

"In an effort to pre-manage the press attention from many hostage families being in D.C. this week to unveil their mural, the White House summoned families to a last-minute call they insisted families keep off-the-record and then proceeded to tell every reporter in Washington the call was going to take place," Jonathan Franks, spokesman for Bring Our Families Campaign, said in a press release Monday. 

The executive order authorizes agencies to impose financial sanctions on any "terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors" involved in hostage-taking or wrongful detentions. However, no new sanctions were announced along with the order.