The Senate is set to vote Thursday on invoking cloture, the process for ending debate, for the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch.
In total, 44 Democrats are expected to oppose the nomination, meaning that the GOP lack the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster, leaving them more likely to trigger the “nuclear option,” the Associated Press reports.
The option refers to the GOP changing Senate rules to be able to successfully invoke cloture with just 52 votes, instead of 60. Such a move would be remarkable, especially for the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee, but has been repeatedly threatened by Senator Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s majority leader.
The vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and is expected to last two hours. Watch live above.
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Write to Zamira Rahim at zamira.rahim@time.com