Austin to transfer power during scheduled medical procedure

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will temporarily transfer the reins of the Defense Department to his deputy on Friday evening for a scheduled medical procedure, according to his spokesperson.

The non-surgical procedure, which is elective and “minimally invasive,” is related to his previous bladder issue, which landed him in the hospital in February, not his diagnosis of prostate cancer, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a Friday statement. The procedure will take place at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Since Austin will be “temporarily unable to perform his functions and duties during the procedure,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will serve as the acting defense secretary, Ryder said.

The Pentagon has notified the White House and Congress about the transfer of power, Ryder said. The statement did not say how long Austin would be in the hospital, and a spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from POLITICO.

It’s the latest in a series of medical issues for the Pentagon chief since he was diagnosed with prostate cancer late last year. Austin underwent a prostatectomy to treat the cancer on Dec. 22, but was taken by ambulance back to the hospital on Jan. 1 with complications from the procedure due to a urinary tract infection.

Austin did not inform the White House, Congress or his top staffers about his medical emergency for days, setting off a storm of controversy. He did not tell President Joe Biden about his cancer diagnosis until Jan. 9, when Austin also released a statement to the media.

Austin later apologized for the delay in disclosing his health issues, and the White House has since released new notification guidelines for Cabinet members when they need to temporarily shift their authority.

“We did not handle this right. I did not handle this right.” Austin told reporters at the Pentagon in February.

Austin's failure to notify Biden and congressional leaders of his hospitalization drew bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon squared off with members of the House Armed Services Committee in a hearing on the episode in February.

Though House Republicans were dissatisfied with Austin's testimony, the event surrounding his hospitalization didn't come up during the Armed Services panel's debate over its annual defense policy bill this week.

But the House did approve bipartisan legislation in early May, led by Armed Services members Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.), to require notification to the White House and congressional leadership within 24 hours when any member of the National Security Council becomes medically incapacitated or 24 hours before any planned medical procedure that will result in incapacitation.

Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.