Sen. Mitch McConnell was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Senate’s majority leader, and for the first time in eight years Republicans control both houses of Congress.
McConnell, who first entered the Senate in 1985, is the first Senate majority leader from Kentucky since Alben Barkley in the 1940s.
In an interview with Kentucky Education Television, McConnell said he’d like to put more emphasis on the work done by Senate committees during his time as majority leader.
“If you’re going to have a bipartisan result, it’s most likely to occur in a committee where a bill is developing bipartisan support before it comes out of committee,” McConnell said.”If it goes to the floor and there are people on both sides for it, it’s got a much better chance of passing. All of that stuff has been, the last few years, essentially eliminated.”
The KET interview airs Tuesday night.
McConnell said he’s discussed several points of his agenda with President Obama, and the two find potential agreement on tax reform, trade and infrastructure.
