Sen. Tuberville Calls Out Biden’s Defense Secretary for Alleged Violations of Federal Law

As Democratic senators attack Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth for alleged incompetence, Republicans are sounding the alarm on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s repeated disappearances for medical treatment, which were allegedly in violation of federal law.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has been a vocal critic of Austin in recent days. On Friday, the Alabama senator called out Austin for these repeated violations of the law. His criticisms are the latest in a salvo of attacks from Republicans on Austin, whom they view as the embodiment of the problem Hegseth must root out.

On Wednesday, the inspector general of the Department of Defense released a report detailing two instances in which Austin delegated his role to a subordinate while he took time off for two cancer-related hospitalizations.

The report details how he failed to alert Congress of his absence, an action which violates the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, requiring “the head of the executive agency to notify the Comptroller General of the United States and both houses of Congress ‘immediately upon the occurrence of [a] vacancy.’”

After the release of the report Wednesday, Tuberville posted on X that the report was “EXTREMELY DISTURBING.”

“I just read an extremely disturbing [inspectoral general] report. In December 2023, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized and failed to follow the law by notifying the White House or Congress,” said Tuberville in a video posted to X.

“It is dangerous and deeply concerning that our secretary of defense left the United States vulnerable when he was completely out of commission twice—and didn’t feel the need to tell his boss either time.”

Tuberville’s statements Wednesday are part of a renewed wave of criticism of President Joe Biden’s defense secretary in the midst of Hegseth’s confirmation process.

On Jan. 10, Tuberville was one of a dozen Republican senators to sign a letter demanding answers from the Department of Defense on Austin’s absences.

“We first want to wish you well, and we wish you a speedy recovery,” reads the letter. “However, we are deeply troubled by the apparent breakdown in communications between your office and the rest of the Department of Defense, the White House, and Congress over the past two weeks.”

The senators proceeded to demand that “all relevant Department of Defense officials” brief Congress on Austin’s absences.

Austin has received much negative attention in recent days from Republicans eager to confirm Hegseth.

On Tuesday, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., criticized Austin after Hegseth’s confirmation hearing. “[Austin’s] been a complete disaster, and we can’t repeat that,” Banks told The Daily Signal. “Pete’s immediately going to be so much better than what we have today.”