The Republican caucus is already experiencing rifts over the white-knuckle deal on the nuclear option. Senators who worked with Democrats voted opposite their leadership, which distanced itself from the agreement through votes against Obama’s nominees, reflecting the right-leaning composition of the majority of the Senate GOP and potentially complicating future agreements to avoid rules changes.

“The implication that somehow now Republicans are just going to roll over on these nominations is very wrong,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of GOP leadership.

“If we’ve got members who raise red flags about particular nominees, yeah, the rest of us pay pretty close attention to that,” he added.

Both sides agree there was no handshake agreement to clear the path for future executive branch nominees. Reid didn’t agree to give up his ability to try and alter the rules by a majority vote and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to shelve his members’ filibuster abilities.

In the words of the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn of Texas: “We are where we were before. Which is: It takes 60 votes.”