Story highlights Senators from both parties urged keeping Senate filibuster rules to maintain bipartisanship

The GOP altered the rules earlier this week in order to confirm Gorsuch with a simple majority

Washington (CNN) A bipartisan group of 61 senators sent a letter to Senate leaders Friday urging them to maintain the 60-vote threshold for filibusters involving legislation, which they said is needed to ensure bipartisanship remains a component of passing bills through the chamber.

The move comes in the wake of a contentious battle this week in the Senate over the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch when the Republicans who control the chamber used the "nuclear option" to neutralize the filibuster for nominees to the Supreme Court.

"We are writing to urge you to support our efforts to preserve existing rules, practices, and traditions as they pertain to the right of Members to engage in extended debate on legislation before the United States Senate," said the letter that was spearheaded by GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware. "Senators have expressed a variety of opinions about the appropriateness of limiting debate when we are considering judicial and executive branch nominations. Regardless of our past disagreements on that issue, we are united in our determination to preserve the ability of Members to engage in extended debate when bills are on the Senate floor."

In the days leading up to Gorsuch's confirmation, Collins and Coons led bipartisan negotiations to try to head off the nuclear option, which changed the Senate rules over the objection of Democrats in the same way that in 2013 Democrats used the nuclear option to make it easier to confirm President Barack Obama's executive branch and lower-court nominees.

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