Biden issues executive order on hostages amid pressure from families
The executive order will authorize government agencies to impose financial and travel sanctions on those involved in the wrongful detention of Americans.
President Joe Biden signed a new executive order on Tuesday aimed at bolstering efforts to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and improving how the government communicates with their families.
The announcement comes as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure from hostage families, some of whom have questioned the White House's commitment to recovering their loved ones.
The new order “will provide new and expanded tools to help bring home our citizens and impose costs on the culprits, as well as provide greater transparency regarding the risks,” a senior administration official said.
Specifically, the order authorizes federal agencies to impose financial and travel sanctions on those who are responsible, either directly or indirectly, for hostage-taking or wrongful detentions. It also instructs the executive branch to share consistent information, including certain intelligence, with the families.
