(CNN) A bitterly divided Senate committee Wednesday approved on a party line vote changes to Senate rules that will allow the Republican majority to speed confirmations of most of President Donald Trump's nominees.

Republicans backed the proposal, which would limit debate time on nominees, arguing during a spirited session of the Senate Rules Committee that it was the only way to overcome what they described as unprecedented obstruction by Democrats of Trump's executive branch and judicial appointments.

The full Senate would need to approve the plan before it takes effect. No vote has yet been scheduled. But Republicans are also weighing using the "nuclear option" to force the change over the objection of Democrats. Such a move would further inflame Democrats because it would lower the threshold for a rule change to a simple majority.

If adopted, the rule changes would lower from 30 hours to two hours the debate time allowed once a filibuster has been defeated. The change would apply to almost all judicial and executive branch nominees but not picks for high-level positions, such as Cabinet officials, federal appellate court judges and the members of the Supreme Court.

Senate Rules Chairman Roy Blunt, a Republican of Missouri who sponsored the measure, said Trump's nominees have faced 128 filibusters by Democrats, many more than the nominees of the several presidents before Trump did combined.

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