Senate Democrats are uneasy about granting a rarely invoked waiver that would allow President-elect Joe Biden’s pick of retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to head the Defense Department, the first nominee to encounter resistance from senators in the incoming President’s own party.
A number of top Democrats praised Austin’s service and credentials, and the historic nature of his pick, since he would be the first African American to run the department.
But some of Biden’s closest allies were squeamish — if not outright opposed — to granting a waiver from a law requiring a secretary to wait seven years from active duty service to take the top civilian post, something only granted twice before in history and would be needed again since Austin retired in 2016.
The early resistance was a sign that Biden and his team will need to lobby their party to fall in line behind the historic pick with a narrowly divided Senate and little margin for error next year.
“It is exciting and historic but I believe that a waiver of the seven-year rule would contravene the basic principle that there should be civilian control over a nonpolitical military,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee. “The principle is essential to our democracy.”
Blumenthal added: “I will not support the waiver.”
Other Democrats voiced similar concern after Congress granted a waiver for Trump’s first defense secretary, James Mattis, to serve in 2017.
