Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin was sworn in as the Secretary of Defense by Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
“Secretary Austin’s integrity, experience, and intimate knowledge of the issues facing our military make him the right leader for this moment,” said Vice President Harris on Twitter.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as our country’s 28th Secretary of Defense, and I’m especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position. Let’s get to work,” Austin said on Twitter.
Congress approved a waiver Thursday, Jan. 21, for retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Pentagon under President Biden, clearing an important procedural hurdle for the Senate to confirm him as the first Black defense secretary, reported the Washington Post.
Austin needed lawmakers to waive the rule requiring former uniformed military personnel to be seven years removed from active service before they can become the defense secretary. He retired as a four-star Army general in 2016.
The House approved the waiver first, with a vote of 326 to 78 — representing strong bipartisan support, despite the fact that several House Democrats and an official House Republican policy group had opposed the waiver. The Senate followed suit about an hour later, backing the waiver by a vote of 69 to 27.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Washington), despite his initial uneasiness with the waiver, emerged as one of Austin’s strongest champions Thursday, appealing to his colleagues to back the waiver to make sure Austin takes office as soon as possible.
“He deserves this waiver, and our country deserves a fully confirmed secretary of defense as soon as we can get that done,” Smith said on the House floor just before the vote.
Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the outgoing Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, also praised Austin on Thursday, calling him “a strong, capable civilian leader for the Pentagon at this critical time.”
