Defense secretary Austin still in hospital

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remained hospitalized Sunday as he faced widening bipartisan criticism for failing to go public about complications from an elective medical procedure for days.

Austin — the U.S.’s top defense official at a time of surging global threats, a key Cabinet member and a crucial figure in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — went into the hospital for an elective treatment Jan. 1 and hasn’t been at the Pentagon since. He’s “still in the hospital,” recovering well and there’s no update on when he’ll be discharged, Defense Department spokesperson Patrick Ryder said in a statement Sunday.

“It’s pretty shocking on this because when you’re the secretary of defense, you need to make everyone aware that you’re actually going to be out of pocket,” Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said on Fox News Sunday.

The Pentagon announced Austin’s hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, four days after he was admitted and without providing specifics on his ailment or the treatment he received.

President Joe Biden and Austin didn’t speak to each other for two days after the president was informed Thursday about Austin’s heath issues, but they talked Saturday evening, according to the people familiar with the matter. The president has full confidence in his defense secretary, a U.S. official said separately.

Austin’s absence has raised questions about who in the Biden administration knew what and when about the absence of the leader who oversees the largest military in the world.

In Friday’s announcement, the Pentagon said Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was prepared to exercise the secretary’s powers at all times “if required.” A senior U.S. official said there are standing protocols to ensure the White House can reach U.S. government officials, including deputies and other senior department leaders.