Austin’s leave leads to probe of policy
Defense secretary was hospitalized last week for prostate cancer; officials were not aware of December diagnosis
WASHINGTON — The White House ordered Cabinet secretaries Tuesday to keep President Joe Biden’s staff informed when they may not be able to perform their duties after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for several days last week without telling the president or his staff.
In a memo, Jeffrey Zients, the White House chief of staff, directed Cabinet officers to evaluate their current policies for delegating authority when a secretary is incapacitated and to forward those procedures to the White House for review. In the meantime, Zients made clear White House officials expected to be kept up to date about developments such as major medical issues.
“Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation,” Zients wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times. “This notification should occur when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.” He added that he wanted any such notification in writing.
The directive by Zients came just before Austin’s doctors publicly disclosed the secretary’s hospitalization stemmed from complications from prostate cancer surgery. The Pentagon had previously declined to specify what forced the secretary to be taken by ambulance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., last week, failing to explain the nature of his condition even to the White House.
While doctors in their new statement disclosed Austin first received the prostate cancer diagnosis in “early December,” aides to the president said neither Biden nor anyone else at the White House knew about the diagnosis until Tuesday morning when finally told by the Pentagon, at which point Zients informed Biden.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said Biden’s “first and foremost concern is the secretary’s health” and the president still had “full faith and confidence” in Austin and would keep him until the end of his term.
But Kirby acknowledged concerns with the secrecy. “It’s not good,” he told reporters at a briefing. “It’s certainly not good, which is why we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The White House memo to the Cabinet reflected the sense of consternation in the West Wing that the nation’s top defense official could be in the intensive care unit for so long without the president or other major national security officials being aware of it. Even Austin’s deputy secretary, who would be called upon to act in a crisis in his absence, was not told at first.
Biden has signaled he does not plan to fire Austin because of the incident despite calls by some Republicans to do so, but people close to the White House described a deep frustration and bafflement among some in the president’s team. Austin, a reserved retired general, does not have a particularly intimate relationship with Biden or his team, but he is generally well liked and respected, making the situation all the more upsetting to them.
Kirby confirmed the White House was not told of the Dec. 22 procedure either, even though it involved Austin being put under general anesthesia.
Austin resumed his duties Friday from his hospital bed and “has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance” from there, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement Monday, but it was not clear when he would be released. The Pentagon said the secretary “is recovering and is in good spirits.”