"The President should have been in the loop on Secretary Austin’s condition from the beginning. Our legislation would prevent a horrible mistake like this from happening again.”
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – As breaking news was reported last week that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had secretly been admitted to an Intensive Care Unit at Walter Reed Hospital for multiple days starting on New Year’s Day – and that during that time both Sect. Austin nor the Department of Defense (DoD) promptly notified President Biden or the National Security Council that Secretary Austin was unable to perform his duties – military experts called it unconscionable that Mr. Biden was unaware of the circumstances given the seriousness of so many U.S. mailtary matters around the world.
“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,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales.
Reps. Gonzales (TX-23), along with his fellow Congressmen and women Aaron Bean (FL-04), Harriet Hageman (WY), Max Miller (OH-07), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), and Andy Ogles (TN-05), introduced the "Cabinet Accountability & Transparency Act" in order to require Cabinet Level Officials to inform Congress of any absence from their job within 24 hours of their absence, or if the absence is due to an emergency, the agency would have to notify Congress as soon as they are aware of the absence.
“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. 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. Our troops deserve real leadership and cabinet officials who will work for them without fail,” said Congressman Aaron Bean.
“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. 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,” said Congresswoman Harriet Hageman.
"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. 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,” said Congressman Max Miller.
“When I served in the Air Force, we were taught to take accountability for our actions. I am happy to co-sponsor Rep. Bean's Bill to ensure that all those in appointed political positions are held accountable for planned absences that make them unable to perform their duties.
"We live in a time when the United States faces growing national crises, and global tensions are at an all-time high. There is absolutely no excuse for our Secretary of Defense to be missing in action because he and the agency deliberately left Congress and the American people out of the loop,” said Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna.
“It is beyond unacceptable that Secretary Austin’s condition was kept a secret from critical leadership, including Congress and the Commander-in-Chief. It is sad but necessary to introduce legislation requiring the Department of Defense to notify members of Congress 24 hours in advance of any planned absence of a cabinet official. I applaud the swift action of Rep. Bean to ensure such an egregious lapse in communication is not made again,” said Congressman Andy Ogles.
