The Senate is voting on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Thursday.
The vote is expected to take place at 11 a.m. EST on Thursday, with the official hearing in Senate to start at 10 a.m. If the vote fails, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to change the rules and enact the “nuclear option.”
Watch a live stream of the vote and debate in the video above.
On Tuesday, McConnell filed cloture on Gorsuch’s nomination debate. That brought Gorsuch’s nomination one step further, as the Senate Judiciary Committee already voted to approve Gorsuch on Monday.
In order for Gorsuch to be confirmed by Senate, he would need 60 votes. But it appears the GOP is short of that, and Democrats in the body have vowed to filibuster the nomination.
If the cloture goes through, the Senate would have 30 more hours of debate — all of which Democrats are prepped to use. That would push a vote to confirm Gorsuch to Friday, with 51 votes needed for him to be the newest member of the Supreme Court.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said he feels ashamed that Republicans have to use to “nuclear option” tactic, but it’s their only option.
Hamilton is rolling over in his grave. I’m sorry we got here, but we are where we are. And I’m going to vote to change the rules because I’m not going to be part of a Senate where Democrats get their judges and Republican can never get theirs. That’s not what it’s all about.