Lloyd Austin Went MIA Twice Last Year And Didn’t Tell Congress

Lloyd Austin transferred his responsibilities as defense secretary to a subordinate on two separate occasions last year and didn’t inform Congress as required by federal law, according to an explosive inspector general report released Wednesday. The revelation marks another instance in which Austin has been caught going MIA while leading the Pentagon.

Released by the office of the Department of Defense (DOD) inspector general, the report primarily focuses on a controversy involving Austin that arose in January 2024. The defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed’s ICU on Jan. 1 after reportedly “experiencing severe pain,” which seemingly stemmed from an “initial medical procedure” he underwent on Dec. 22, 2023, according to The Guardian.

The report confirms Austin’s procedure was related to a prostate cancer diagnosis.

As I previously wrote in these pages, the American people, Congress, and high-ranking Biden administration officials — including President Biden — were unaware of Austin’s absence for several days. Even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks — whom Austin transferred his responsibilities to and was vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time — was also unaware of the situation until she was briefed on the matter days after Austin was admitted to the ICU.

But it appears that wasn’t the only instance in which Austin failed to properly notify relevant authorities about transferring his duties to Hicks.

According to Wednesday’s IG report, the Pentagon “did not report two [Assumption of Functions and Duties] AFDs, occurring on June 17, 2024, and June 21, 2024, to the Comptroller General and Congress” as required by federal law and DOD policy.

The DOD IG noted how both transfer of power notifications “stated that the reason for the AFD was travel” and that Hicks “was serving as the Acting Secretary of Defense.” While the directives “did not indicate the expected duration of the transfer” of authority, “the June 17 AFD lasted 1 hour and the June 21 AFD lasted 35 minutes,” according to the report.

“However, although these AFDs were reported to the [White House Situation Room], they were not reported to the Comptroller General and Congress,” the analysis reads.

As described by the DOD IG, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act requires “the head of the executive agency to notify the Comptroller General of the United States and both houses of Congress ‘immediately upon the occurrence of [a] vacancy’ in a [Presidential appointment with
Senate confirmation] position, including the name of any person serving in an acting capacity and the date such service began.”

The statute specifies that a “vacancy” occurs when the individual holding the position in question “dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office.” The report subsequently noted, “the FVRA reporting requirement applies when the Deputy Secretary of Defense serves as Acting Secretary of Defense pursuant” to federal law.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am deeply, deeply disturbed to learn that we have had two significant lapses in the chain of command that have left our country wide open for attack,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in response to the revelation. “Just as you would expect, there will be zero accountability from the Biden administration.”

Wednesday’s report concluded that neither Austin nor Hicks “met the requirement” to notify Congress and the comptroller general of Austin’s decision to transfer his responsibilities to Hicks during his January medical episode. While the DOD IG “acknowledge[d]” Hicks was unaware that she had been made acting defense secretary, “there nonetheless was a requirement for her … to make those immediate notifications.”