Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 12, 2017. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The Senate Armed Services Committee has overwhelmingly passed legislation to allow retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to run the Pentagon.
The Republican-led panel voted 24-3 to clear the bill after Mattis testified before the committee. Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren opposed it.