Murphy Votes to Maintain Civilian-Controlled Military

Statement

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday released the following statement after voting against a waiver to exempt General James Mattis from current law and allow him to serve as Secretary of Defense in President-elect Trump's administration. Under law, the Secretary of Defense must be out of uniform for at least a 7-year relief period. General Mattis left the military in 2013.

"General Mattis has dedicated his life to serving his country, and for that I'm incredibly grateful. But I remain deeply troubled that we would break our country's longstanding practice--enshrined in law for good reason--of civilian control of the military. That is a precedent I think is important to stand up for, which is why I voted against the waiver today."

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