The House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday abruptly canceled its planned public hearing this week with retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon. A spokesperson said the cancellation was over logistical issues.

Instead, the panel will likely hold a closed-door briefing with the nominee, according to two aides.

The public hearing, which was set for Thursday, was initially planned as part of the process of granting Austin a waiver, which would exempt him from the requirement that he be out of the military for at least seven years. Both the House and Senate must pass the waiver for Austin to serve.

An Armed Services aide said the briefing will likely occur Thursday, the same day the hearing was set to occur, and Austin will appear via teleconference.

House Armed Services Democratic spokesperson Monica Matoush said the committee can’t hold a public hearing until full slates of members are appointed and the panel formally adopts its rules. So far, only Democrats have named members to the panel.

"The committee cannot formally organize until leadership from both the majority and minority have named the full list of members," Matoush said. "Once members have been named and the committee has been organized, we will proceed."

A House Democratic aide added that Armed Services Democrats will discuss the briefing concept on a call Tuesday afternoon.

The cancellation was first reported by Defense News.

Austin is testifying at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

The House doesn’t have a formal hand in confirming presidential nominees, but the waiver requirement gives the lower chamber a say in Austin’s future.

House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith had secured a pledge that Austin would testify publicly on the topic of civilian control of the military. Many lawmakers are skeptical of confirming yet another retired general to lead the Pentagon, and the public airing was seen as a way to allay many members’ concerns.

But in recent weeks, House Democrats have discussed speeding up the process of passing a waiver. POLITICO reported last week that some lawmakers pushed to bypass the hearing and committee votes altogether and instead hold a closed briefing, in an attempt to get Austin on the job faster.

Over the weekend, Smith called for House Democrats to unite and pass the waiver. The chair warned that blocking Austin, who would be the first Black defense secretary, "will send a false, dangerous message that Congress believes a highly qualified African American is unable to do the job."

It’s unclear if skipping the hearing will cost Austin support among House members who clamored for the session or if a briefing will suffice.

Heather Caygle contributed to this report.

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