House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) expressed late Monday that he is weary of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership after a recent hospital visit was not made public for four days.
“I am quickly losing faith in Sec Austin’s ability to lead [the Pentagon] in this turbulent time,” Rogers wrote Monday evening from the Armed Services GOP account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The decision by Sec Austin & his team to withhold vital info from the President & Congress must be addressed,” he added. “We must hear from Sec Austin & DoD on this lack of transparency.”
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, just outside of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 1 and remains hospitalized as of Sunday evening. He had previously been to the hospital for an elective surgery Dec. 22 and returned following complications.
The public was not notified of his hospitalization until Friday evening, an unusually late disclosure for such a high-ranking official who is now overseeing two major wars, The Hill previously reported.
Congress was not notified until shortly before the Pentagon’s statement to the public went live, and President Biden had reportedly learned of his hospitalization after three days.
In a statement Saturday, Austin said he could have “done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.”
The deputy secretary of defense was prepared to act for and exercise Austin’s powers if necessary, the Pentagon’s press secretary said in a statement Friday.
Still, concerns have been raised over the lack of transparency surrounding Austin’s hospitalization, and criticism has mounted on Capitol Hill.
The Pentagon Press Association also sent a letter calling the lack of information an outrage.
The note said that during a time when threats to U.S. military service members are growing, and with the U.S. playing a large role in both the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, it “is particularly critical for the American public to be informed” of his health and decision-making abilities.
Rogers and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, said Monday they were “concerned with how the disclosure of the secretary’s condition was handled.”
“Transparency is vitally important,” their joint statement said, adding that many questions remain and Austin most provide additional details on his health and the decision-making process for the delay in notification.
In his statement, Austin emphasized that he commits to doing better regarding communication, but said that “this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”