Rep. Chris Deluzio Becomes First Democrat to Call for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s Resignation

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin makes remarks at a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, at the Pentagon in Washington, on Nov. 22, 2023. (Cliff Owen/AP Photo)

Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) has become the first Democrat lawmaker to call for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s resignation after the secretary and his staff failed to inform the White House and the public about his hospitalization.

“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,” Mr. Deluzio said.

While many members of the GOP have criticized Mr. Austin’s handling of the matter, Mr. Deluzio is the first Democrat to join the chorus of calls for the secretary’s resignation.

“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,” Mr. Deluzio added.

The Democrat lawmaker’s remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny surrounding Mr. Austin’s hospitalization and failure to notify the White House and the public for several days after admission to a medical facility.

Meanwhile, in another sign that criticism of the defense secretary is becoming more bipartisan, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Tuesday that President Joe Biden should consider firing Mr. Austin.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Oct. 31, 2023. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

When a CNN reporter asked Mr. Smith if President Biden should consider dismissing Mr. Austin, he said: “They’ve got to have that conversation. I don’t know. Like I said, at the moment, I can’t think of a plausible explanation” for not telling the president that he had cancer and surgery, and then that he was hospitalized.

The White House has indicated that President Biden is not considering firing Mr. Austin—at least for now.

“There [are] no plans or anything, other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue in the leadership … that he’s been demonstrating,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Jan. 8.

For his part, Mr. Austin said Saturday that “I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed” about his stay in the hospital.

“I commit to doing better,” he added.

The Hospitalization

Mr. Austin underwent an elective medical procedure on Dec. 22 and was discharged the following day.

On Jan. 1, the defense secretary began experiencing severe pain and was admitted to an intensive care unit at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided a timeline showing that Mr. Austin’s chief of staff notified the deputy secretary of defense and the White House national security adviser of the hospitalization on the afternoon of Jan. 4.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of Jan. 5 that members of Congress were notified of the hospitalization.

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center announced on Jan. 9 that Mr. Austin had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that the Dec. 22 procedure was a surgery to “treat and cure” his cancer.

Doctors identified the cancer through lab tests early in December, leading to the elective surgery on Dec. 22.

Since Mr. Austin’s readmission to the hospital on Jan. 1, the defense secretary has “progressed steadily,” according to doctors at Walter Reed.

The Fallout

Mr. Austin’s decision to keep his condition secret for days from top Biden administration officials and the public has led the White House to order cabinet members to disclose when they can’t carry out their duties.

White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients said in a memorandum that cabinet heads must notify the White House chief of staff if they might or must have to delegate authority.

While the memo doesn’t specifically mention Mr. Austin’s case, it comes amid continued scrutiny of the circumstances of his hospitalization and its delayed disclosure.

Mr. Austin said he took full responsibility for the disclosure process, while his chief of staff has ordered a review of what transpired.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Monday that the Department of Defense would take steps to improve its notification procedures.

Mr. Ryder has defended the delay, calling it an “evolving situation” that was complicated by privacy and medical issues.

Besides increasingly bipartisan criticism of the secrecy around the hospitalization, it was also a factor in Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-Mont.) decision to file for Mr. Austin’s impeachment, the prospects for which are unclear.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.