WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, appeared on “America’s Newsroom” [Fox News] with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer this morning and “Kudlow” [Fox Business] in the afternoon to discuss his concerns stemming from Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to inform the Biden administration and Congress of his medical circumstances which led to his inability to perform his duties.

In the America’s Newsroom interview, Senator Wicker noted the Pentagon’s failure to immediately inform Congress and the White House about Secretary Austin’s incapacitation as required by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

“This was a violation of a very specific statute. And something I noticed in the press reports yesterday is someone within the hierarchy in the Pentagon said this happens every so often, where the power is transferred from the Secretary to the Deputy Secretary. If that happens, the statute kicks in and not only do you have to tell the President and people up and down the chain, but there is a specific statute that says you have to tell the Congress – Republican and Democratic leaders of both Houses,” Senator Wicker said. “So, I'm concerned about this, and the statute is not a suggestion. This is the law of the land passed by the Congress and signed by the President. And it is going to continue to be an issue.”

In his afternoon interview with Larry Kudlow, Senator Wicker noted that despite Secretary Austin’s hopeful prognosis, underlying questions remain regarding the critical communications breakdown within the Department of Defense.

“This does strain credulity. We were told this was an elective procedure and that the secretary went for this elective procedure,” Senator Wicker said. “Now, I wouldn't view prostate cancer surgery as a simple elective procedure. And clearly that when the ambulance comes to get you, in this case on the 1st of January and takes you to the hospital – there are tubes running down and into the abdomen – the Secretary is incapacitated. The public needs to know, and the statute need to be followed.”

Senator Wicker additionally pushed for additional information and accountability so Members of Congress can learn more about the timeline and exact transfer of authority during this crisis, and he also asked if similar such instances have happened in the Biden administration before.

“We're told this has happened before. It's not unusual for the authority to be transferred for to the deputy,” Senator Wicker said. “And what I want to know is why Congress, if this happens frequently, why isn't Congress told about this frequently, if they feel the statute doesn't apply to them?...I'm glad at least we know what's wrong with the Secretary. But I hope everybody's learned a lesson here. What they want to do now is do an internal 30-day investigation, really with the same people doing the investigation that were actually part and parcel of this.”