Harry Reid Focuses On July For The 'Nuclear Option'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has told top advisers that he is prepared to take action if Senate Republicans block three upcoming nominations, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Reid is reportedly focusing on the month of July to approach filibuster reform and possibly execute the "nuclear option," which would change the Senate rules and no longer require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

?This would take away the right to filibuster on nominations,? a senior Senate Democratic aide told the Washington Post. ?All executive branch and judicial nominations would be subject to majority votes. He would not do it on legislative items.?

A Senate Democratic aide confirmed the Post report to HuffPost and said that Reid met recently with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a leader of the push to reform the filibuster, to lay out his thinking going forward.

Reid has consistently said publicly that he reserves the right to change Senate rules if he considers the GOP to be abusing the ones left in place by the bipartisan agreement in January.

Reid warned in April that he would enact the "nuclear option" if President Barack Obama's judicial nominations are kept from moving forward.

?All within the sound of my voice, including my Democratic senators and the Republican senators who I serve with, should understand that we as a body have the power on any given day to change the rules with a simple majority, and I will do that if necessary," Reid said.

Ryan Grim contributed reporting.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/harry-reid-nuclear-option_n_3293865.html

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