"Under statute… there is a menu of options if you will, things that need to be considered. As part of that, we do not have an inter-agency decision answer on what those pieces are yet. It is under active consideration," Ford said. "The second round of sanctions under the statue is a more draconian menu than the first round."
Last week, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told Sputnik that the United States intends to move forward with imposing additional sanctions against Russia for the attack against Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal.
The United States has accused Russia of involvement in the March 4 nerve agent attack on Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English town of Salisbury, a claim repeatedly denied by Moscow.
In August, the United States announced that it was imposing sanctions on Russia under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991.
The law allows for the termination of foreign assistance and arms sales, denial of US government credit or other financial assistance, prohibitions on exports and a suspension of diplomatic relations, among other possible measures.
