Led by Florida Rep. Aaron Bean, a coalition of Republican lawmakers is introducing a bill to crack down on cabinet members’ communication with Congress after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin kept lawmakers and the White House in the dark about his hospitalization, the Daily Caller learned first.
Despite being hospitalized on Jan. 1 at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., neither the Pentagon nor Austin notified the White House or Congress that the cabinet official was unable to perform his duties. When the Pentagon finally revealed the information to the public on Friday evening, they reportedly notified Congress of the news just moments before releasing their statement.
The “Cabinet Accountability and Transparency Act,” obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller, would require agencies to immediately notify Congress if their cabinet official is experiencing an emergency and is unable to perform their duties. Under the bill, which is co-sponsored by Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman, Ohio Rep. Max Miller, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, cabinet officials would be required to notify Congress of any absence within 24 hours of taking it.
“The Department of Defense’s failure to notify President Biden, the National Security Council, and the American people that Defense Secretary Austin was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties is totally unacceptable,” Bean said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “America is in a time of global conflict, as our service members endure attacks in Iraq and Syria, our ally Israel is at war with Hamas, and the threat of Communist China escalates.”
“The Defense Secretary must make aggressive and crucial decisions in minutes and Secretary Austin’s lack of transparency presented an unnecessary risk to the American people,” he continued.
Several days after announcing that Austin was hospitalized, the Pentagon revealed that Austin had a procedure on Dec. 22 to treat prostate cancer and was then taken into Walter Reed Hospital on Jan. 1 because of extreme pain from a urinary tract infection.
Austin also did not immediately tell the White House about the Dec. 22 procedure, according to CNN.
“As Defense Secretary, Secretary Austin is the key link between the President as Commander-in-Chief and our entire military. Failing to communicate with the White House and important elements of our national security apparatus demonstrates not only poor judgment by Secretary Austin but also a breakdown of the Biden administration’s protocols,” Miller told the Daily Caller in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the adults are not back in the room, so Congress must step in to be sure our national security is not put at risk by this administration’s incompetence,” Miller continued.
Though Biden spoke to Austin on Saturday, the president did not find out until Tuesday what had hospitalized the Defense Secretary, the same day the American people were informed, White House national security advisor John Kirby said during a press briefing.
“It is unconscionable that the Secretary of Defense would not notify the President of his impending surgery at any time it were to occur, let alone when the Biden administration has seen so much of the world blow up on its watch. Since the White House seemingly has no control over its Secretaries, it is incumbent on Congress to provide the necessary oversight of its employees,” Hageman said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“I am proud to cosponsor this bill, which will not only address the issue within this current chaotic administration, but also ensure that it never happens again with any secretary in any presidential administration,” Hageman added.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin walks down the steps of the Pentagon to greet Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on December 4, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. Ciolacu and Austin were scheduled to discuss a range of bilateral issues. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“I served 20 years in the U.S. Navy – military leadership should be no further than a phone call away. The way this situation was handled was completely unacceptable. The President of the United States should have been in the loop from the beginning on Secretary Austin’s condition. Our legislation would prevent a horrible mistake like this from happening again,” Gonzales said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients took a step to ensure that the same situation never occurs, ordering the cabinet officials to review their processes for transferring power if a secretary is unable to perform his duties due to incapacitation or loss of communication, a Tuesday memo to Cabinet secretaries said.
Amid backlash from both Republicans and Democrats, Austin released a Saturday statement, taking the blame for the communication breakdown.
“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. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
But despite being uninformed of one of his cabinet officials’ hospitalization, Biden has no plans to fire Austin, a White House official told the Daily Caller. Biden reportedly wouldn’t even accept a letter of resignation from Austin, Politico reported.
“Our troops deserve real leadership and cabinet officials who will work for them without fail,” Bean told the Daily Caller.