Rep. Chris Deluzio became the first congressional Democrat to call for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s resignation after the controversy over his hospitalization.

“I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command,” Deluzio (D-Pa.) said in a statement that also thanked Austin for his service and wished him a speedy recovery. He represents a swing district.

“I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign,” he added.

Related posts:

House majority may hinge on the Rio Grande Valley Manchin emphatic he ‘will not vote’ to kill the filibuster McConnell agrees to allow Senate power-sharing to move forward Democrats clash over aid for first-time homebuyers Sasse to Biden: ‘Stop listening to all of your advisers who say Zelenskyy is a dead man walking’ McConnell says he hasn’t decided how he’ll vote on Ketanji Brown Jackson Fiscal winter is coming: Lawmakers’ 5 chilly hills to climb Biden projects Dems will fall short of House majority Sinema outraised by Gallego again, further clouding her future House Republicans look to lock in their speaker pick behind closed doors Steve Scalise is the GOP’s next pick for speaker Bipartisan Senate group games out border policies to tie to Ukraine aid