WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders laid the groundwork to make major procedural changes that would allow the party to approve President Donald Trump’s nominees en masse in hopes of breaking through a historic backlog created by Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced on Monday he would kick-start the procedural steps needed to change how judicial nominations are handled in the Senate, making it easier for Republicans to approve multiple candidates at a time to speed up the process. The move comes as Democrats have halted consideration for more than 100 nominees in protest of Trump’s policies.

“If Democrat obstruction continues, as Democrats have made it abundantly clear that it will, there is no practical way that we can come close to filling all the vacancies

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