January 22, 2021

Duckworth Votes to Confirm Austin as Defense Secretary

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement after voting to confirm Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary under President Joe Biden. Austin was confirmed with a 93-2 vote today.

“Secretary Austin is a crisis-tested leader who executed one of the most complex logistical operations in the history of the Army and is committed to restoring the proper role of civilians in formulating national security policy. Throughout our meeting and his hearings, Secretary Austin demonstrated that he is a leader ready to restore good order and discipline, confront daunting challenges in the emerging Indo-Pacific region, modernize our logistics infrastructure, root out extremism within the ranks and improve diversity and inclusion throughout the Department. His confirmation is yet another historic step in his barrier-breaking career, and I look forward to working with Secretary Austin to protect our troops and safeguard our nation.”

-30-