Ruppersberger Supportive of Nomination of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense

(Washington, DC) – Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger today issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense:

“General James Mattis is a strong choice as our next Secretary of Defense and I urge my colleagues in Congress to work together to adopt a waiver to allow President-elect Trump’s nomination to move forward.

In my longtime role on the House Intelligence Committee and, now, as a Defense Appropriator, co-chair of the House Army Caucus, Naval Academy Board Member and Congressional Representative for the National Security Agency, US Cyber Command and two Army bases, I have had the opportunity to meet with many military leaders. General Mattis has been among the best. Our Armed Forces are the strongest in the world under the leadership of the most capable military commanders like General Mattis, who can help us maintain our dominance on land, at sea, in the skies and throughout cyberspace. 

I respect his unwavering patriotism and his candor and I share his distaste for partisan politics –we both believe that there is no room for politics when it comes to the safety of American citizens. I look forward to working with General Mattis in this new role.”