Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said his top priority Wednesday was to continue confirming as many federal judges as possible with a newly expanded GOP advantage in the chamber.
McConnell helped steer through President Donald Trump's two appointments to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The Senate has also confirmed 29 judges to U.S. appeals courts over the last two years in what will be one of the defining aspects of Trump's legacy.
"You know what my top priority is. I have made it very clear," McConnell said at a press conference. "It's the judiciary, the two Supreme Court appointments, the 29 circuit judges, the 84 overall number of judges, and we're not through doing those this year."
"The president, I think, has done an excellent job in picking young men and women who believe the job of the judge is to follow the law. We intend to keep confirming as many as we possibly can for as long as we're in a position to do it. So it'll still be my top priority in setting the agenda here in the Senate," he added.
Democrats won back the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterms, but Senate Republicans increased their slim 51-seat majority by picking up seats in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Florida. They could also pick up an additional seat in Montana, where the race has not yet been called, and the only Democratic pick-up thus far was a defeat of Sen. Dean Heller (R., Nev.).