Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) became the first Democrat to call on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to resign after he was hospitalized on January 1 but did not tell President Biden, his own deputy, and other top national security officials about his hospitalization until January 4.
Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) is seen while visiting small businesses in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, on August 29, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Deluzio posted on X on Wednesday:
I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command.
I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign.
I thank Secretary Austin for his leadership and years of dedicated service to the American people and wish him a speedy recovery.
I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign.
— Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) January 10, 2024
WATCH — Top House Armed Services Dem: Biden Should Evaluate Firing Austin, You Can’t Explain His Behavior:
Austin was still in the hospital as of January 10, although the Pentagon said he resumed “full duties” on January 5, a day after Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks learned of the hospitalization.
Austin was rushed to the hospital via ambulance on January 1, after suffering complications from a December 22 surgery, which he did not tell Biden about either. During that surgery, he spent the night in the hospital. He underwent surgery after a diagnosis of prostate cancer in “early December,” according to the Pentagon. Biden was informed about the diagnosis only on Tuesday, according to the White House.
On Thursday, the Pentagon inspector general said he would launch his own inquiry into actions related to Austin’s hospitalization and the failure to notify others.
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