WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration has promised from day one to restore truth and transparency to the federal government — but now faces a maelstrom of criticism and credibility questions after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization was kept secret for days held, even in front of the White House.
The controversy has led to a government-wide review of what protocols are in place to prevent such failures and the Pentagon is examining its own procedures after the extraordinary error, which left even Austin’s top deputies unaware of his condition for days. Senior Republicans in Congress are investigating whether Austin ignored legal requirements to inform Congress, and Biden administration officials are privately outraged by Austin’s lack of disclosure, believing it is an unforced error that is spoiling the president’s message undermines to restore competence through his government.
The prolonged focus on a senior official’s medical secrecy also casts an unwanted spotlight on Biden’s own health, which has already come under scrutiny as the oldest president in history seeks another term and faces frequent questions and voters’ concerns about his age. Combined, the questions about transparency and health have put the White House on the defensive for days as the election year begins and have given ammunition to Biden’s political opponents who question whether his administration is living up to its promises of competence.
The Pentagon announced Tuesday afternoon, after days of silence about Austin’s medical diagnosis, that the secretary has prostate cancer. Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22 and underwent surgery to treat the disease, but developed a urinary tract infection a week later and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He remained in the hospital on Tuesday.
Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine screening in early December, but the White House insisted no one there, including Biden, knew of the diagnosis until Tuesday.
“I think we all recognize – and I think the Pentagon has been very, very honest with themselves – about the challenge to credibility of what happened here, and how difficult it was for them to be completely transparent with the American people,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. “We all recognize that this has not developed as it should have – on so many levels.”
There is no government-wide policy within the Biden administration on how to handle the absence of Cabinet officials, according to people familiar with the matter, although it is widely expected that the White House should be notified of such circumstances. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss government practices.
Although there is no legal requirement for government officials to disclose their medical history, it has become common for presidential, vice-presidential and incumbent presidential candidates to do so. Many choose to tell more about their health than a private individual would.
Other top figures, however, have chosen to remain coy about their health, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after recent incidents in which he froze, and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who delayed unveiling the recurrence of pancreatic cancer or the severity of her condition before her death, weeks ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Disclosures to the public about a Cabinet official’s absence varied among federal agencies. For example, in 2022, the Justice Department announced that Attorney General Merrick Garland would undergo surgery to remove enlarged prostate tissue a week before his procedure.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg approved his parental leave from the White House after he and his husband adopted twins in 2021, but the leave was not publicly announced until he returned to work.
Multiple current and former officials said the White Houses generally seek to keep a closer eye on the whereabouts of the secretaries of State and Defense because of their prominent positions in the line of presidential succession, and especially in the case of Pentagon.
Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, noted that the chain of command for the U.S. military runs from the president through his secretary of defense to the combatant commanders, who then execute orders that establish command and control over any possible use of nuclear weapons can include. .
He said it was “absolutely necessary” that the president, top government and military officials, select members of Congress and even key allied counterparts be notified of even a temporary absence.
“It is highly unusual for a Cabinet secretary not to notify the president, the White House chief of staff or the NSC of any absence, especially a medical one,” he added.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients instructed Cabinet secretaries in a memo on Tuesday to report by Friday on any existing procedures for delegating authority in the event of incapacitation or loss of communication. He also requires agencies to provide notice if an agency anticipates a circumstance in which a Cabinet head cannot perform his or her duties.
The matter is expected to be discussed Wednesday at a previously scheduled meeting with Zients and Cabinet members, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.
The White House also reiterated this week its commitment to quickly releasing medical information about Biden.
Biden last underwent a physical examination in February 2023, when his doctor declared him “healthy, vigorous” and “fit.” A skin lesion removed from his chest was later revealed to be basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common and easily treatable forms of cancer.
Biden handed over power to Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021 for an hour and 25 minutes while he was under anesthesia during a routine colonoscopy. The White House said in advance that he was undergoing the procedure, but waited until Biden woke up before saying exactly when he was unconscious.
The president began using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night last year to help with sleep apnea. His use of the machine was only revealed to the public after journalists noticed the telltale indentations on his face from the CPAP mask.
Biden’s sleep apnea diagnosis was first revealed in medical reports in 2008, but did not appear in medical records of the physical exams he took when he ran for the White House in 2020, or of the two physical exams he underwent since taking office in 2021. .
The incident in Austin has drawn criticism from both sides of lawmakers who have numerous questions about how his condition could have been kept secret from the White House, Capitol Hill and the public.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that Austin’s lack of disclosure to key lawmakers about his condition and transfer of duties to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was a “clear violation of the law.” . Congress was not notified of Austin’s hospitalization until Friday afternoon, the Pentagon said, a day after Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan were notified.
Wicker’s aides said a federal law governing vacancies requires Congress to be notified immediately if a Senate-confirmed official dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to perform the duties of the office. A March 1999 opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel stated that the requirement could apply to illness under such circumstances.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he was unhappy with the Pentagon’s explanation so far and called on the Senate Armed Services Committee to investigate the matter, possibly with a hearing.
“He owes Congress and the American people additional facts to assure us that he can continue to serve,” Blumenthal said.
In the House of Representatives, Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers on Tuesday sent letters to Austin, Hicks and Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, demanding a detailed account of what happened regarding the notice and its operational impact during the secretary’s hospitalization.
“Somebody needs to resign or be fired,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., an Army veteran. “Perhaps more facts will come to light that will shed light on who exactly is responsible besides the secretary, but demonstrating such a lack of communication and poor judgment in such a simple matter really raises questions about the judgment about much bigger issues.”
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Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.