The actions include the expulsion of 35 Russians from the U.S. and the sanctioning of agencies and individuals tied to the hacks.
A package that would include sanctions and covert action is being finalized.
Obama noted this month that theU.S. has seen “some evidence” that Chinese government hackers have reduced their pilfering of U.S. companies’ intellectual property and sensitive data.
But advocates say communication and coordination can still be improved.
Sen. Jeff Sessions is a conservative stalwart and a lightning rod for civil rights activists.
Supporters of the change had argued that the two jobs were too big for a single leader.
The ex-NSA contractor faces prosecution in the United States for leaking classified secrets.
Civil rights advocates, who have been calling for such action, say the program already amounted to a registry for Muslims through discriminatory targeting.
Russia’s military intelligence arm is believed to have applied the same malware to track Android app used in 2014 battle.
Obama defended his response to cyber-intrusions as Clinton accused Putin of having a personal grudge against her.
