The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to approve a waiver for Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star general, to serve as President Joe Biden’s defense secretary.
The lower chamber approved the measure in a 326-78 vote, with opposition from 15 Democrats and 63 Republicans.
Congress has to pass a waiver to allow Austin, who retired in 2016, to take the job, as a US law requires Pentagon chiefs to be out of the military for at least seven years.
Austin would be the first African American to run the Department of Defense if confirmed by the Senate.
File photo:VCG
