{"id":29261,"date":"2018-12-21T13:26:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T13:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/21\/lawmakers-dismayed-over-mattis-sudden-departure\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:13:07","slug":"lawmakers-dismayed-over-mattis-sudden-departure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/12\/21\/lawmakers-dismayed-over-mattis-sudden-departure\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers dismayed over Mattis\u2019 sudden departure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressional leaders reacted with shock and dismay at the sudden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/20\/mattis-out-defense-secretary-says-his-views-no-longer-aligned-with-trump\/\" target=_blank>resignation announcement of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis<\/a> on Thursday, with many blasting President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/21\/report-trump-eyes-major-withdrawal-of-troops-from-afghanistan\/\" target=_blank>Trump\u2019s reckless policies<\/a> for forcing the popular former general out of office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/20\/read-defense-secretary-mattis-resignation-letter\/\" target=_blank>In a resignation letter released Thursday<\/a>, Mattis said he will step aside in February so Trump can select a new military leader \u201cwhose views are better aligned with yours.\u201d The letter appeared to contradict recent White House decisions to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, and Trump\u2019s overall views on traditional U.S. alliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House press secretary Sarah Sanders downplayed the disagreements in a meeting with reporters Thursday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecretary Mattis has served the country admirably for over four decades,\u201d she said. \u201cHe and the president have a good relationship, but sometimes they disagree. The president always listens to the members of his national team, but at the end of the day it\u2019s the president\u2019s decision to make.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/20\/mattis-out-defense-secretary-says-his-views-no-longer-aligned-with-trump\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ARM-Mattis-resigns-3.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Mattis out: Defense secretary says his views no longer aligned with Trump<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will retire &quot;with distinction,&quot; President Trump tweeted Thursday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill called Mattis\u2019 departure a severe blow for the administration and the country. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called it \u201cregrettable\u201d that Mattis won\u2019t be in the middle of the White House\u2019s key national security discussions anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s essential that the United States maintain and strengthen the post-World War II alliances that have been carefully built by leaders in both parties,\u201d he said in an unusual rebuke of Trump. \u201cWe must also maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House minority leader and presumed next House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she was \u201cshaken\u201d by the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;There is something very wrong with this picture,&#8221; she told reporters, noting Mattis\u2019 resignation letter raises serious concerns about instability in the administration. \u201cOur troops look to Secretary Mattis as a leader, and now he is going to be leaving them. This is very serious for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Mattis \u201cone of the few symbols of strength and stability in this administration.\u201d Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the resignation a sign of Trump\u2019s misguided defense policies run amok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(Mattis) didn\u2019t resign because he grew weary from the fight,\u201d Reed said in a statement. \u201cI think he saw this as his last best chance to focus the nation\u2019s attention on the serious missteps President Trump is making and get him to change course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a prominent supporter of the president who spent much of this week sparring with him over the decision to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria in coming months, called Mattis \u201cone of the great military leaders in American history\u201d and urged Trump to \u201clisten to your national security team, who are immensely talented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said Mattis \u201cwas giving advice that (Trump) needs to hear\u201d and that the president\u2019s policies of isolationism are \u201cweak strategy that will harm Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Focus on Capitol Hill now turns to who Trump\u2019s pick to replace Mattis may be, and what kind of confirmation fight that nominee will face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mattis was so highly regarded among lawmakers that they overwhelmingly approved a waiver allowing him to serve in the civilian defense leadership post even though by law his did not have enough time since his military service to be eligible. The Senate confirmed him by a 99-1 vote just hours after Trump was inaugurated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/10\/15\/support-for-trump-is-fading-among-active-duty-troops-new-poll-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\">A Military Times poll<\/a> conducted in late September found that nearly 84 percent of troops had a favorable view of Mattis&#8217; work leading the armed forces. Among officers, the figure was almost 90 percent<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My statement on Secretary Mattis <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0n6Hye3096\">pic.twitter.com\/0n6Hye3096<\/a><\/p>&mdash; U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenMcConnell\/status\/1075939646809485312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 21, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Old Marines never die, but they do resign after the President ignores their advice, betrays our allies, rewards our enemies, and puts the nation\u2019s security at risk. Turn out the lights when Mattis leaves; we will not see his like again while Trump remains in office. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fKUTe5nPIR\">https:\/\/t.co\/fKUTe5nPIR<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Senator Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenAdamSchiff\/status\/1075885370783555585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 20, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> drives away the grownups in the room, there is cause for genuine concern.<br><br>I thank &amp; honor Secretary Mattis for a lifetime of service.<\/p>&mdash; Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenWhitehouse\/status\/1075941584124985344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 21, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances &amp; empower our adversaries. 1\/2 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ztc0Yihccn\">pic.twitter.com\/ztc0Yihccn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/marcorubio\/status\/1075895147454439426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 20, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both Republicans and Democrats said the move raises serious questions about Trump&#8217;s national security policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":89903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":38,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,106,31,33,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3294],"class_list":["post-29261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MJUHZMRSE5EATPSQTZDATRQDS4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/12\/21\/lawmakers-dismayed-over-mattis-sudden-departure\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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move raises serious questions about Trump&#039;s national security policies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2018\/12\/21\/lawmakers-dismayed-over-mattis-sudden-departure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-21T13:26:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T08:13:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t   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