House lawmakers agreed to the amendment by voice vote. The measure was brought by US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
"Secretary Austin has not fulfilled his job duties. As a matter of fact, he’s destroying our military," Greene said during remarks in support of the amendment.
Greene pointed toward a decline in military recruitment, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Pentagon’s approach to the Ukraine conflict as reasons to reduce Austin’s salary.
Lawmakers are attempting to pass government funding legislation before the end of the month to avoid a shutdown. The White House has warned that US national security and military servicemembers could be negatively impacted by a shutdown.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives are considering short-term funding bills to give Congress more time to pass standard appropriations bills, although there are discrepancies between the two chambers’ proposals.