ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thanks to last Tuesday’s elections, Democrats will only control the Senate for a few more weeks. With lawmakers returning to the Capitol on Wednesday, President Barack Obama and his allies hope to use that time to confirm as many judges, ambassadors and others as possible.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., faces limits on how many posts he’ll be able to fill before Republicans take over.

That’s because he also wants to use the lame duck session for important bills dealing with taxes and the use of force against Islamic State radicals in the Middle East.

In addition, Republicans are continuing to force Reid to use time debating nominations. That’s because they are still angry over Democrats’ unilateral weakening of filibuster rules a year ago.