WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans, stunned by their own good, if complicated, fortune, said Wednesday that they would move quickly next year on an agenda that merges with President-elect Donald Trump's, repealing the Affordable Care Act, cutting taxes, confirming conservative judges, shrinking government programs and rolling back regulations.
Like much of the nation, groggy Republicans were still trying to process results that were the opposite of what most had anticipated. Many Republicans in the House and Senate largely avoided Trump during his campaign, while a handful outright denounced him, largely to their peril. In the Senate, two incumbents and one Republican challenger who rejected Trump lost. Republicans appeared likely to secure a 52-48 majority in the Senate.
Trump's victory provides what Republicans have been seeking for a decade: unified control of the government and a chance to pursue a conservative agenda, transforming them from the "party of no" into a party that can enact significant legislation.
And on Wednesday, congressional leaders said major parts of their agenda could get to the new president's desk quickly.
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"The goal would be to try and get on the same page," Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader — who was about as close as the taciturn leader comes to giddy — said as he celebrated the Republican victories at the Capitol.
"We're going to be an enthusiastic supporter almost all the time," he said of Trump. "When we have differences of opinion, I prefer that we work them out in private."
President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, was clearly in Republicans' sights.
"This health care law is collapsing of its own weight," Speaker Paul D. Ryan said from Wisconsin, adding that Congress had already shown it could get a repeal bill to the president's desk without any Democratic help. Republicans are widely believed to favor a maneuver used in budgeting that would allow them to undo the law without facing a Democratic filibuster.
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McConnell demurred Wednesday on the process, but said repealing the law, which has provided health care coverage for 20 million people, is "pretty high on our agenda," adding, "I would be shocked if we didn't move forward and keep our commitment to the American people."
Other issues that converge with the new president's include the confirmation of a conservative Supreme Court justice to fill a vacancy from the death of Antonin Scalia early this year, the reduction of climate and other regulations on businesses and Wall Street, and the diminution of the role of the federal government in an array of policy areas like education.
But other priorities are far from shared. Trump spent his campaign deriding many of the cornerstone principles of his party: free trade, changes in Social Security and the U.S. posture toward Russia.
"It's just our constitutional duty to keep the executive branch in check," Sen.-elect Todd Young, R-Ind., said Wednesday.
Trump also agrees with Republicans on sharp tax cuts for businesses and most American households, especially the wealthiest. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated that Trump's plan would cut federal revenue by $6.2 trillion over the next decade. McConnell said Wednesday that Republicans craved comprehensive tax reform, an area where Democrats and Republicans remained deeply divided.
McConnell, who took a political risk that paid off when he refused to act for eight months on Obama's Supreme Court nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland, said he looked forward to advising Trump on a nominee, but would not say whether Republicans would invoke a rules change to prevent Democrats from filibustering Trump's choice.
However, he hinted that they would avoid doing so, saying that majorities should not "overreach" after a big election win.
"I think it's always a mistake to misread your mandate," McConnell said. "I don't think we should act as if we're going to be in power forever."
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Trump has been more impulsive than ideological in his policy goals. He has at times provided scant details, and at others reversed or greatly scaled back his stated goals, such as barring Muslims from entering the country.
Trump could work with Democrats in some areas, such as repealing carried interest deductions that benefit some investors, an action most Republicans oppose.
And he would like to invest in the nation's highways, bridges and other infrastructure, a goal Democrats and Republicans share, though the parties do not agree on how to pay for a large-scale public works package.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, called Trump on Wednesday to push for a "robust infrastructure jobs bill."
On this front, Trump could conceivably work with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the presumed incoming Democratic leader, who said he had already talked to Trump.
"It is time for the country to come together and heal the bitter wounds from the campaign," Schumer said in a statement.
The biggest question going into the next Congress will be how Trump deals with Ryan, a frequent critic during the campaign. Trump often returned fire, notably when Ryan said he could no longer defend Trump's more incendiary remarks and disinvited him from a campaign swing in Wisconsin.
But in Ryan, Trump has a built-in policy factory with a largely supportive caucus; if he signals his support for Ryan, if not all of his ideas, the two could probably forge a path forward.
"Nothing unites a political party more than a big win," said John Feehery, a former top Republican congressional aide. "I expect GOP leaders to work closely with the new Trump administration. They don't have much of a choice at this juncture."
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Vice President-elect Mike Pence is also expected to be a bridge between the White House and Capitol Hill, and McConnell said he expected him to take on a role similar to that of former Vice President Dick Cheney, possibly attending weekly lunches with the Republican conference.
Beyond Washington, Tuesday was a good night for Republicans generally.
The party held onto the House with few losses, and made moderate gains at the state level, adding to the broad control it has been building in the states since 2010.
While Democrats had hoped the election would be a chance to start retaking ground in the states and Obama had directly worked on behalf of more than 150 local Democrats, Republicans gained at least three new governor's offices on Tuesday. It was unclear whether they would hold on to the governor's office in North Carolina, where final results were not expected until later this month.
In state legislatures, where Democrats had seen more opportunities, Republicans, who effectively controlled 68 of 99 chambers before Election Day, gained control of at least the Kentucky House and the Iowa Senate.
With votes in some states still being counted Wednesday, Democrats did take some chambers, but the scope of wins was nowhere near as large as they had hoped; they took control of the New Mexico House and both chambers in Nevada.