Congresswoman Stefanik Votes for Waiver Allowing for Consideration of Retired General Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Stefanik voted in favor of Retired General Lloyd Austin to be considered by the Senate for United States Secretary of Defense. She issued the following statement:

"Today after much consideration, I voted to support a waiver for retired General Lloyd Austin to be considered for confirmation by the Senate to be the United States Secretary of Defense. General Austin has a strong record of leadership throughout four decades of honorable military service. It is particularly encouraging for my constituents in the North Country to have a former 10th Mountain Division commander with a deep understanding of the unique strengths of Fort Drum serve as Defense Secretary. While I support the waiver for General Austin and supported the waiver for General James Mattis in 2017, I believe we must re-embrace civilian leadership and control of the military to uphold the civil-military relationship that has persevered since our nation's founding. I wish General Austin all the best in his confirmation, and I look forward to inviting him back to Fort Drum. I will continue to work closely with the civilian leadership at the Department of Defense to protect our national security."

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