Republicans are laying the groundwork for a change in Senate rules that could expedite hundreds of President Donald Trump‘s nominees, but negotiating the terms could require Democratic support.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters Thursday that Republicans are talking through multiple ways to avoid months of gridlock on the Senate floor as Democrats mount a near-total campaign to slow the confirmation process.

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“I honestly think we ought to winnow the number,” Thune said of the more than 1,000 executive branch positions requiring Senate votes.

He floated an idea from the last Congress, in which committees would pass nominees en bloc so they could be handled in batches on the Senate floor. Other options include shortening the amount of debate time or shrinking who counts as a nominee requiring Senate confirmation.

“We can figure out how to fix it, but it’s got to be fixed,” Thune said. “I mean, this is not a sustainable position.”

Republicans are considering the changes in the face of chronic gridlock, with Democrats refusing to grant unanimous consent or voice votes for any of Trump’s second-term nominees. Ordinarily, noncontroversial appointees are fast-tracked without minority party objections.

However, Democrats have shown an interest in a permanent rules change, judging that a quicker process could help them when they are back in power, and Thune called a bipartisan agreement “obviously preferable.” The support could be necessary as members of the GOP conference oppose a go-it-alone approach that is technically possible, but would require virtually all Republicans to get on board.

“Quite honestly, I know a lot of people are going around thinking that there’s a discussion about a nuclear option,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a centrist who refuses to back any change that lacks bipartisan support. “I don’t believe that the majority of our conference agrees with that.”

First, Republicans are trying to negotiate a smaller bundle of nominees who can be confirmed quickly, using the threat of canceling the August recess as a point of leverage with Democrats. As many as 40 names have been pulled together, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a member of the Democratic whip team, said Democrats are interested in finding an interim compromise if they get something in return for expediting the slate of nominees.

“The reason for a hold is not for its own sake, but to generate leverage to get a good outcome. So if we get a good outcome, I think people would be happy,” he said.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a Rules Committee member, previously said the administration’s targeting of Democratic appointees on independent commissions has been one sticking point.

Conversations over a rules change, which would apply to the larger backlog of nominees, would then resume once senators come return to Washington in September. There are more than 160 nominees currently ready for a Senate vote.

Democrats have said Republicans can’t reasonably expect floor business to proceed normally when the Trump administration is testing the limits of the law with its executive actions, while Republicans have accused them of reflexively opposing bipartisan nominees because they were nominated by Trump.

“This is not advice and consent. This is obstruct and delay. If President Trump nominates you, they’re against you. That’s Democrats’ new litmus test,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) said Thursday on the Senate floor.

The impasse has become so severe that Republicans are openly talking about allowing Trump to make recess appointments, a dramatic move that would sidestep the Senate’s constitutional authorities.

Still, GOP leadership has expressed a preference to find a compromise that protects the institution while reducing delays.

“There are ways of addressing this issue which I think make more sense,” Thune said. “In my view, fixing the rules, not just for now, but for the long term, would be a better solution for it, but at this point, right now, I wouldn’t say we’re taking any options off the table.”

The difficult part is earning support for a rule change. Republicans would need 67 votes, meaning buy-in from a substantial number of Senate Democrats. Or, they could go “nuclear” and amend the rules with a simple majority, as both parties have successively done over the last decade.

The latest step came in 2019, when Republicans reduced the amount of debate time for most nominees from 30 to 2 hours. Other “nuclear” options have centered on exempting nominees from the Senate filibuster.

Past efforts to reach a deal have fallen apart, with Thune noting that the “wheels eventually came off” previous negotiations led on the GOP side by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK).

However, Democrats have not closed the door on a rules change agreement, even senators who have outspokenly opposed Trump.

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“Obviously, I’ve been supportive of changing rules in the past,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a member of Senate Democratic leadership. “That probably benefits Democrats, you know, more than it benefits Republicans in the long run.”

When asked about the idea of a change, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Thursday that Democrats want to work in a “bipartisan manner.”