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EO 14046Executive OrderBiden · D

Executive Order 14046

Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia

This executive order declares a national emergency over the conflict in northern Ethiopia, authorizing the Treasury and State Departments to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for violence, human rights abuses, obstruction of humanitarian aid, or undermining peace processes. It blocks property, restricts financial transactions, and suspends U.S. entry for designated persons while attempting to preserve humanitarian assistance flows to at-risk populations.

Federal Register Open PDF 86 FR 52389

Impact dates

  1. Federal agencies to take all appropriate measures to implement order

  2. Promulgation of rules and regulations to carry out order purposes

  3. Recurring and final reports to Congress on national emergency

Key directives

  • Secretary of Treasury authorized to impose sanctions in consultation with Secretary of State
  • Block all property and interests in property of sanctioned persons
  • Prohibit U.S. persons from investing in or purchasing equity/debt of sanctioned persons
  • Prohibit U.S. financial institutions from making loans or providing credit to sanctioned persons
  • Prohibit foreign exchange transactions involving sanctioned persons
  • Deny export/reexport licenses for goods/technology to sanctioned persons
  • Deny visas and exclude noncitizen leaders/officials of sanctioned persons
  • Suspend entry of designated noncitizens into the United States
  • Secretary of Treasury authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
  • Secretary of Treasury to submit recurring and final reports to Congress

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • National emergency declared
  • Sanctions authority activated
  • Property blocking authority effective
  • Visa suspension effective

Near term (90d)

  • Treasury/State designations of sanctioned persons expected
  • Implementation rules and regulations to be promulgated
  • Federal agencies to establish implementation procedures

Long term

  • Ongoing sanctions enforcement and adjustments
  • Recurring congressional reports on national emergency
  • Potential evolution based on ceasefire and political resolution progress

Risks & tensions

  • Humanitarian carve-out language is aspirational ('will seek to ensure') rather than a binding exemption, creating compliance uncertainty for aid organizations
  • Broad criteria in section 1 could capture wide range of actors including regional governments and political parties, risking unintended economic spillovers
  • 'On or after November 1, 2020' temporal threshold captures entire conflict period but may complicate due process for designations
  • Tension between coercive pressure and stated support for Ethiopian unity/territorial integrity—sanctions may inadvertently weaken federal government
  • Section 8 no-prior-notice determination for constitutional presence raises due process concerns flagged in past sanctions litigation
Executive Order 14046: Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons With Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia · Executive Orders