Story highlights The State Department had come under sharp criticism for missing the October 1 deadline

Washington (CNN) The State Department, facing bipartisan scrutiny from Congress, issued long overdue guidance on which Russian individuals and entities will be subject to sanctions under recently passed legislation -- 25 days after it was due.

The notice, required by the law, was due Oct. 1 and is meant to put potential stakeholders -- including US companies -- on alert in advance of the implementation in January. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent the list to Congress Thursday, State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

The State Department had come under sharp criticism from lawmakers from both parties who questioned why the Trump administration had missed the deadline and whether the delay reflected reluctance from the White House to further sanction Moscow.

"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has authorized the department to issue guidance to the public specifying the persons or entities that are part of or operating on behalf of the defense or intelligence sectors of the government of the Russian Federation," Nauert said. "What that means is that Secretary Tillerson has signed off on this and it is now being held on Capitol Hill."

Nauert said that the State Department was also reaching out to "key US industry stakeholders and our allies and partners" to explain the list.

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