Congress approves waiver for Lloyd Austin to become defense secretary

Jan 21, 2021

The Senate will convene Friday morning to confirm Lloyd J. Austin, a retired Army general and former top commander of American forces in the Middle East, as President Joe Biden’s secretary of defense.

Both houses of Congress moved quickly approve a waiver for Austin on Thursday afternoon, clearing his path to become the nation’s first Black defense secretary and the second recently retired military commander in four years to fill that role, which is traditionally reserved for civilians. People who have retired from the military within the previous seven years cannot be confirmed for the post unless they receive a waiver; Austin retired in 2016.

His approval to lead the Pentagon follows that of former Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, who also was a CENTCOM commander, during the Trump administration in 2017, setting a potential precedent that has drawn objection from some lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Twenty-seven senators, 13 of them Republican, voted against the waiver for Austin. Among the 14 Democratic senators opposing the exemption were Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

Speaking to the Senate during his confirmation hearing earlier this week, the former CENTCOM chief offered reassurances of his own commitment to civilian oversight and vowed to take a stand against right-wing extremism in the military — an issue drawing renewed scrutiny after a right-wing mob, including a number of veterans, ransacked the Capitol in support of outgoing President Donald Trump.