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Republican senators plan to change Senate rules to bypass Democratic opposition to President Trump's nominees. Democrats' blocking of nearly all nominees is deemed "historic and unprecedented" by Republicans. A proposed rule change would allow confirming multiple nominees at once, potentially clearing a backlog of over 100. While Republicans argue this mirrors a past Democratic proposal, Democrats criticize it as weakening Senate checks and balances. This action follows a pattern of both parties altering Senate rules to confirm nominees in recent years. The change requires a simple majority of Republicans' support.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.