Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Thursday hearing in front of Congress will be time-limited because of his ongoing health issues, a member of Congress with direct knowledge of the situation first told the Daily Caller.
After Austin failed to notify the White House and Congress of his hospitalization at the start of this year, Republican Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, launched an investigation into the communication breakdown. Austin is set to appear before the committee on Thursday, though the hearing is expected to be capped at two hours because of Austin’s health, limiting members’ opportunities to ask questions, the member told the Caller.
“The Secretary of Defense can’t sit for two hours and the president can’t remember what he had for breakfast, so who is actually running our military? It’s terrifying to realize how vulnerable we are, and our adversaries know it. 2024 can’t come soon enough,” the member said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends the dignified transfer for fallen service members U.S. Army Sgt. William Rivers, Sgt. Breonna Moffett and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders at Dover Air Force Base on February 02, 2024 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Austin’s reason for the hospitalization, despite public outcry after the communication failure, was not revealed until a few days later. The Pentagon revealed that Austin had a procedure on Dec. 22 to treat prostate cancer and was re-admitted to the hospital on Jan. 1 after experiencing pain that was a result of a urinary tract infection. Despite talking to Austin following the news of his hospitalization, President Joe Biden did not learn what condition hospitalized Austin until a few days later.
Biden has no plans to fire Austin, a White House official previously told the Daily Caller.
Austin released a statement after the incident taking responsibility for the communication shortfalls.
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” Austin said in the statement Saturday. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
“He’s only agreed to a two hour time limit because of his health issues, unlike normal hearings where he’d sit through an entire roster of members asking questions,” the member told the Caller. “Not a good look for him or the administration that the Secretary of Defense is so weak he can only give two hours.”