For the week ending January 22nd

WAIVER FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Voting 326 for and 78 against, the House on Thursday approved a waiver (HR 335) allowing retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III to serve as secretary of defense even though he has been out of uniform for less than the seven year hiatus required by law in keeping with the American principle dating to 1783 of civilian control of the military. Austin retired in April 2016.

A “yes” vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

YES: Deb Haaland, D-1, Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-3
NO: Yvette Herrell, R-2

WAIVER FOR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Voting 69 for and 27 against, the Senate on Thursday joined the House (above) in granting a waiver (HR 335) allowing retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III to serve as secretary of defense even though seven years have not lapsed since his retirement as the law requires in keeping with the American principle dating to 1783 of civilian control of the military. Austin retired in April 2016. There was no debate on the bill.

A “yes” vote was to send the bill to President Biden.

YES: Ben Ray Luján, D, Martin Heinrich, D

AVRIL HAINES, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Voting 84 for and 10 against, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed Avril D. Haines, 51, as director of national intelligence, elevating her as the first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community. Created in response to 9/11, her office is charged with overseeing the 16 U.S. civilian and military spy agencies. An attorney and trained physicist, Haines was deputy director of the CIA from 2013 to 2015, the first woman to hold that office, and before that a top aide to former President Barack Obama on security issues.

No senator spoke against the nominee.

YES: Luján, Heinrich

LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Voting 92 for and three against, the Senate on Friday confirmed retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III as secretary of defense. He is the first African American to hold the position in its 74-year history. When Austin, 67, retired from active duty in April 2016, he was leader of the U.S. Central Command. He was the last commanding general in Iraq from 2010 to 2011 and directed the drawdown of U.S. troops there.

No senator spoke against the nominee.

YES: Luján, Heinrich