Reid: GOP can avoid rules change if they confirm 7

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Republicans can avoid a change in Senate filibuster rules only if they confirm seven presidential appointees they’ve been blocking.

Speaking to the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, Reid said Monday that a partial deal to confirm fewer than those seven will not suffice.

He again threatened to change Senate rules to allow simple-majority votes for presidential nominees other than judges, calling such a move, “a minor change, no big deal.” He added that it would be the easiest way to avoid such infighting.

Senate Republicans and at least one Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, strongly disagree. Senators from both parties were scheduled to meet Monday night in the Old Senate Chamber, in a last-ditch effort to avoid the change.