The process to confirm Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as the next Secretary of Defense will begin in the Senate on Thursday.
Mattis will begin his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and is expected to receive a waiver for his recent service in the military. Current laws deny military officers from taking cabinet posts until they have been retired for at least seven years.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have threatened to vote "No" on the waiver for Mattis.
"I will work to make sure our strategy and military calculus are employed to reinforce traditional tools of diplomacy, ensuring our President and our diplomats negotiate from a position of strength," the nominee, Ret. Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis, is set to say in his opening remarks. "We must embrace our international alliances and security partnerships. History is clear: nations with strong allies thrive and those without them wither."
Expect Mattis to receive pushback for his views on women in combat. In the past, he has questioned if women are suited for "intimate killing” and doesn't agree with pushing “social change” on the military.
