US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is recovering well after surgery for prostate cancer and subsequent complications that left him hospitalized for two weeks, doctors said, as the White House announced new delegation-of-authority policies for senior administration officials designed to avert similar crises in the future, Report informs, citing Bloomberg.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients outlined new procedures for cabinet secretaries to follow in a memo obtained by Bloomberg. Among the new requirements: those in the cabinet must notify the Office of Cabinet Affairs and White House chief of staff when they are preparing to undergo hospitalization or a medical procedure requiring general anesthesia, or traveling to areas with limited or no access to communication.
Senior staffers filling in for cabinet secretaries during illness or vacation will be required to liaise with their counterparts at the White House, and leaders will need to document in writing each time authority is transferred or returned to a cabinet leader.
“Through this process, we are assured that all agencies have a set of standard protocols they must follow in the event of a delegation of authority,” Zients said.