Mattis, Kelly confirmed to Cabinet positions

The Senate today quickly confirmed two former generals for positions in the Cabinet of President Donald Trump.

Senators voted 98-1 to confirm retired Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense and 88-11 for retired Gen. John Kelly as secretary of homeland security. The two nominees were considered two of Trump’s least controversial picks and had the most bipartisan support.

Last week, Congress passed legislation to allow Mattis to serve, waiving the rule that secretaries of defense must have been out of uniform for at least seven years. Mattis retired in 2013 as commander of the U.S. Central Command, where he led the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Republicans also wanted to a vote on the confirmation of Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., as director of the CIA, but opposition from Democratic senators forced them to delay. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., released a statement saying, “No CIA director in history has ever been confirmed on Inauguration Day. The importance of the position demands … that the nomination be thoroughly vetted, questioned, and debated.”

The Senate will hold votes on Pompeo and many other Trump nominees starting on Monday.