Pick puts some Democrats in a bind
United States President-elect Joe Biden introduced his choice for secretary of defence, calling retired Army General Lloyd Austin the right man for a potentially volatile moment in global security while hailing the prospect of the first African American to lead the Pentagon.
But the nomination is putting some congressional Democrats in a political bind. In the past, they have opposed naming recently retired military officers to a post typically occupied by civilians, yet they don’t want to defy their party’s incoming president nor be seen as blocking history.
Biden said: “He’s loved by the men and women of the armed forces, feared by our adversaries, known and respected by our allies.”
Three years ago, Congress waived a law prohibiting the appointment as defence secretary of military officers who have been retired fewer than seven years. That allowed confirmation of President Donald Trump’s choice, retired Marine General Jim Mattis. That came over the objections of some Democrats, who may now have to reverse themselves to back Austin, who served 41 years in the Army and retired in 2016.
“There’s a good reason for this law that I fully understand and respect,” said the President-elect, whose late son Beau served as a lawyer on Austin’s military staff in Iraq. “I would not be asking for this exception if I did not believe this moment doesn’t call for it.”
Austin said he has “a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military.” Before Mattis, the last time Congress approved a waiver was in 1950. The waiver would have to be approved by both congressional chambers.
Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said despite the historic racial angle of Austin’s nomination, he would not vote for a waiver because it “would contravene the basic principle that there should be civilian control over a nonpolitical military.”
Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said: “This is becoming a trend, and I don’t like it.”