There’s bipartisan support for awarding Trump’s former defense secretary the Congressional Gold Medal, but Trump himself could oppose it
Should Jim Mattis receive the top honor Congress can give?
Context
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor that the legislative branch can bestow. Among its most famous recipients are Neil Armstrong, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Pope John Paul II, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Jackie Robinson and 11-year-old Roland Boucher, who saved four friends from drowning in a Vermont lake.
President Trump’s first Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has been widely praised across the political spectrum for “containing” some of Trump’s more impulsive instincts. Mattis had publicly broken with Trump on several issues related to the military, including a troop reduction in Afghanistan, a ban on transgender people openly serving, and the creation of a Space Force branch.
His 98–1 Senate confirmation vote was the second-widest margin for a Trump Cabinet appointee, behind only the 100–0 vote for Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs David Shulkin. He had previously served as head of U.S. Central Command. His December 2018 resignation, over Trump’s planned withdrawal of troops of Syria, caused more bipartisan concern than any other Trump Cabinet member’s exit.
What the bill does
The General James N. Mattis Congressional Gold Medal Act would award that highest honor to Mattis. But it could face opposition from President Trump, and accordingly from many congressional Republicans who may risk reprisal from the president.
It was introduced in the House on October 28 as bill number H.R. 4867, by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA4).
What supporters say
Supporters argue that Mattis is a strong and admirable leader, with nary a blemish on his military or personal record.
“Mattis demonstrates the American principles of hard work, patriotism, and integrity,” reads part of the legislation’s official text. “His distinguished military and civilian service and his devotion to defending and upholding the Constitution are an inspiration to all Americans.”
“I am grateful for Secretary Mattis’ honorable service,” Rep. Newhouse said in a 2018 press release upon Mattis’ resignation. “A fellow Washingtonian, he has served our nation with distinction. Every Americans can be proud of his record both in uniform as a U.S. Marine and as Secretary of Defense. He has shown himself to be a man who exemplifies duty and patriotism and a true role model.”
What opponents say
GovTrack Insider was unable to locate any direct statements of opposition to Mattis receiving the Congressional Gold Medal specifically, likely because the legislation is mere days old. However, Trump has publicly criticized Mattis on several occasions.
“I wasn’t happy with Mattis,” Trump told the New York Times. “I didn’t like the job he was doing. I wasn’t happy with it. I got him more money than the military has ever seen before. And I wasn’t happy with the job that he was doing at all.”
“I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you wanna know the truth,” Trump told 60 Minutes.
Odds of passage
The bill has attracted nine bipartisan House cosponsors: seven Democrats and two Republicans. That bipartisanship is a microcosm of the across-the-board support for Mattis as Defense Secretary.
However, that’s far fewer cosponsors than some other Congressional Gold Medal nominees have attracted, including six nominations with 200+ House cosponsors this year alone. (Although the comparison is slightly unfair, since Mattis’s medal nomination is mere days old while others have been out for months.)
It awaits a potential vote in either the House Administration or Financial Services Committee. Why the Financial Services Committee? Because the Congressional Gold Medal features an actual gold coin that’s struck.
This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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