Austin said on Monday that he was able to be discharged from Walter Reed Military Hospital.
Ministry of Defence and the US House Committee on Military Finance and Oversight has been requested by the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's to be heard, reports Reuters.
“Congress needs to understand what happened and who made the decisions to withhold information about the minister's whereabouts,” Committee Chairman Mike Rogers stated in a letter sent to Austin on Thursday.
In December, Austin underwent minor surgery to treat cancer. He ended up back in the hospital due to complications.
Austin was hospitalized on New Year's Day, but the ministry didn't tell about it until several days later. Republican decision-makers have demanded Austin's resignation due to the delay and threatened him with impeachment.
President Joe Biden has said that he still has confidence in his defense minister. However, Biden has admitted that he felt that Austin's judgment had failed him when he had kept the president in the dark about his hospitalization.
Austin said on Monday that he was able to be discharged from Walter Reed Military Hospital.
The inspector general of the US Department of Defense said last week that he would launch an investigation into Austin's sensational trip to the hospital.
The review assesses whether the ministry's practices are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications and effective delegation of authority if top management is unavailable due to health problems or other reasons.
#United #States #Secretary #Defense #Austin #called #committee
