When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role after the November elections, he’ll have at least two more years in the Senate. Now he’s signaled one of his priorities as a rank-and-file Senator is to increase defense funding, Politico reported Thursday in its Inside Congress newsletter.

Politico reported that McConnell feels members in both parties are open to raising defense spending levels. He also said he would be freer to press that issue.

“We are nowhere near doing what we need to do in the defense budget, and that’s gonna be my main focus when I’m out of this particular job, which requires you to keep your mouth shut a lot,” McConnell told Politico.

When McConnell announced he would give up his leadership role, he said he would also focus on taking on the anti-interventionists in his party.

Army photo by Henry Villarama