Senate Republicans on Monday formally got the ball rolling on their bid to invoke the so-called nuclear option and change the chamber’s rules in order to expeditiously confirm dozens of President Trump's stalled nominees in the coming weeks.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday started the process of making the rules change on the floor by filing a resolution that includes dozens of nominees awaiting confirmation.

The initial procedural vote on the resolution is expected to take place on Thursday, with the rule change expected to be finalized early next week, followed quickly by a vote on the first batch of nominees themselves.

“We’ve got a crisis, and it’s time to take steps to restore Senate precedent and codify in the Senate rules what was once understood to be standard practice,” Thune said on the floor on Monday. “Eight months of petty partisanship is long enough.”

The plan Thune teed up is based on a Democratic proposal made by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) two years ago, which called for allowing 10 nominees from the same........

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