In a rare move by the U.S. Senate, former General Lloyd Austin was confirmed as the next U.S. defense secretary on Friday. Typically retired generals have to wait seven years before assuming the role as head of the Pentagon but according to Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif. 3rd District), extenuating circumstances called for the Senate to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick.
Austin retired from the military in May 2016 but received a waiver from the House and Senate on Thursday. His confirmation was approved in the full Senate with a vote of 93-2.
“I have great confidence in him. He did a very, very good job at the hearing. Obviously he did a very good job in the military. and he has very significant challenges, challenges that he is particularly and uniquely capable of handling,” Garamendi told Cheddar.
Austin made history as the first Black person to be named head of the Pentagon and is just the 28th to hold the role. According to Garamendi, that, in part, qualifies him to handle an array of issues plaguing the armed services, including issues containing white nationalism, stopping racism, and ensuring minorities receive equal opportunities for promotion.
During his Senate hearing, Austin also emphasized that China remains a prominent threat to the U.S., signaling it will be another top priority once he is sworn in as defense secretary.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the position of the secretary of defense is a civilian-held role and the seven-year window between retirement and potential confirmation is to protect the government from potential coups. This is why the waiver was necessary for Austin, as it was for Gen. James Mattis, the first defense secretary to serve under President Donald Trump.
“Will it be a standard procedure? I would hope not, but the door is opened," Garamendi said.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
Sabrina Siddiqui, National Politics Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins to break down the SNAP funding delays and the human cost of the ongoing shutdown.
Arguments at the Supreme Court have concluded for the day as the justices consider President Donald Trump's sweeping unilateral tariffs in a trillion-dollar test of executive power.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
