Early Saturday, the Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as the next U.S. attorney general by a narrow 50-49 vote in favor. Blanche has said he is committed to policies that help make the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, "permanent in every single state."

Key Takeaways:

• The Senate confirmed Blanche as United States Attorney General in an early-morning vote on Saturday that fell almost entirely along party lines.

• All Democrats and Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against his confirmation.

• Blanche had promised that, if confirmed, he would work to stop the flood of illegal abortion pills into the United States.

The Details:

In a 4:00am confirmation vote, the Senate voted to make Blanche the nation's next attorney general, largely along party lines. Every Republican senator except Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voted in favor of Blanche, while every Democrat voted against him.

Blanche's confirmation hearings were contentious, with many senators — including Republicans — hitting back at his approval of a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, a controversial funding pool of taxpayer money announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in May to settle a lawsuit filed by President Trump against the IRS. The fund was meant to compensate individuals who alleged the government targeted them. It would have reportedly included Jan. 6 defendants. Blanche agreed to rescind the fund, which appears to have given him the votes he needed to be confirmed.

In a statement posted to social media, Blanche thanked the senators who voted to confirm him:

"I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice as our great nation’s 88th Attorney General. I am grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process. To the dedicated public servants of the Department of Justice, thank you for your work each day to uphold the law and keep our country safe. God bless America."

Why It Matters:

Blanche seems to be in favor of pro-life actions. During Senate committee hearings, he vowed to commit resources to stopping the flow of abortion pills into pro-life states. He has also had multiple calls with women who have been harmed by the abortion pill, as well as pro-life governors regarding settling lawsuits related to weakened abortion pill safeguards under the Biden administration.

When questioned during the confirmation hearings, Blanche said he would prioritize taking action against abortion drugs being shipped into the United States from overseas and across state lines from pro-abortion to pro-life states that have laws to protect preborn babies:

"[I]t's not only what the Department of Justice can do, but its what the FDA is doing right now for the first time in a decade — actually doing real studies about the safety and the appropriateness of these drugs.

And, you know, I’ve seen video myself of what appears to be pills coming even from overseas to young women, and doesn’t matter who applies for it, anybody can get it. There’s no instructions; they just come dumped out of a little plastic bag, and and it’s wrong.

And I very much commit our resources to stopping this."

However, Blanche didn't give any specifics on how the DOJ would accomplish this, though he did say he is not defending actions taken by the Biden administration, and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a process to work through to determine the abortion pill's safety and efficacy.

"We have to have studies that we can defend in court," he said, explaining, "We're trying to let FDA do their work so we can continue to protect the lives of unborn children... and the states' laws."

He also vowed to review an opinion issued by the Office of Legal Counsel, again under the Biden administration, which declared that dispensing the abortion pill by mail is not a violation of the Comstock Act.

More recently, in a conference call held with religious leaders, Blanche said he would work so that the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, would become “permanent in every single state.” It is unclear exactly what he meant by this comment.

“We don’t have complete victory yet, but we will have victory, and victory will be soon and it will be permanent,” he said.