Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to return to the Pentagon Monday after nearly a month away and host NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, according to a defense official.
Austin was admitted to the hospital on New Year’s Day due to complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer in late-December. He spent two weeks at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before he was released on January 15. Since then, he has been working from home, where he has continued his recovery.
On Friday, Austin visited Walter Reed Medical Center for a follow-up appointment. Doctors at the hospital released a statement saying he is recovering well and is expected to make a full recovery.
“Beyond planned physical therapy and regular post-prostatectomy follow up appointments, he has no planned further treatment for his cancer,” a statement from his doctors said.
Austin’s unannounced hospitalization, which was not disclosed to the media or President Joe Biden and other senior administration officials for days, raised major questions about transparency and communications within the Biden administration. Republicans have been highly critical of how the Pentagon handled Austin’s illness and the House Armed Services Committee has called on the defense secretary to testify next month about the failure to notify key government leaders.
The White House has new guidelines for agency notification of key absences following its review of each federal agency’s plans for “delegation of authority” when a Cabinet member is unable to perform his or her duties, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said in a memo first reported by The Associated Press and obtained by CNN.
Every time there is a delegation of authority, Zients said in the memo to Cabinet secretaries, the agency must notify the offices of Cabinet affairs and White House chief…
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