New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand immediately opposed the nomination of ex-Marine general James Mattis as Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, announced Dec. 1. Mattis retired from the Marines in 2013, and federal law says that for a former military leader to occupy the post, they must be out of uniform for seven years. Congress would have to pass a waiver, and Gillibrand said that she will not vote for a waiver. “Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule,” she said in a press release. Democrats do not have a majority in the Senate or the House of Representatives, so the Democrat's opposition may not amount to much.