WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin has been confirmed as President Biden’s Pentagon chief, changing into the primary African American defense secretary and overcoming robust affirmation headwinds from each events.
The Senate on Friday overwhelmingly voted to verify Austin, 93-2.
Austin, a four-star basic who retired in 2016, wanted to acquire a waiver from Congress to override a regulation that claims a defense secretary should wait seven years after lively service to take the highest civilian publish.
Lawmakers had been cautious about granting a second waiver after granting one to President Donald Trump’s first defense secretary, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, however finally voted to verify Austin.
Quite a lot of Home Democrats final month requested Austin, the previous chief of US Central Command, to commit to making sure civilian management of the navy.
Biden praised Austin’s management and urged Congress to approve the waiver, which the Home finally did in one other bipartisan 326-78 vote Thursday.
“We want his firsthand information of the immeasurable price of struggle, and the burden it locations on our service members and their households, to assist convey to an finish the perpetually wars and be certain that the usage of drive is the final instrument in our toolbox, not the primary,” Biden stated earlier this month.
Austin, solely the sixth African American to carry the rank of an Military four-star basic and the primary to guide an Military corps in fight, is a historic Pentagon chief however was not the primary alternative for the position.
Pentagon veteran Michele Flournoy, who served as a defense undersecretary beneath President Barack Obama and deputy assistant secretary of defense beneath President Invoice Clinton, was thought of Biden’s first decide and would have been the primary girl to run the Pentagon.
Democratic Sens. John Tester of Montana and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut final month got here out towards granting Austin a waiver and have been among the many 17 Democrats within the Senate who voted towards doing the identical for Mattis in 2017.
Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell of Kentucky stated he would vote to verify Austin, calling him “a transparent patriot with a formidable profession,” however warned Congress towards persevering with to disregard the waiver.
“It’s not nearly a simplistic worry that the navy will find yourself working itself. On the contrary, many specialists fear that navy leaders’ applicable fixation on being nonpolitical might not put together them to combat forcefully for our Armed Forces amid the political rough-and-tumble within the govt department and right here in Congress,” McConnell stated.
Austin is the second member of Biden’s cupboard to be confirmed, following Director of Nationwide Intelligence Avril Haines.
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