Several Republicans stressed that the failure of Obamacare repeal and the necessity of confirming Gorsuch are not intertwined.

“Gorsuch would be a win anyway and who knows that we would have a health bill to the president by this Friday if the House had passed it?” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, right, said.

“Gorsuch would be a win anyway and who knows that we would have a health bill to the president by this Friday if the House had passed it?” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, right, said. | Getty
“Gorsuch would be a win anyway, and who knows that we would have a health bill to the president by this Friday if the House had passed it?” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said. “So I think you’ve got to see them separately.”

GOP leaders can generally lose two Republicans on a simple majority vote, but their margin may be even narrower on the nuclear option with the absence of Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), who is recovering from back surgery. An Isakson spokeswoman said the senator is in Georgia this week and is “working to get cleared by his doctor to return to D.C. as soon as possible.”

If Republican leaders feel bullish about the prospects of getting Gorsuch confirmed — no matter what it takes — some rank-and-file GOP senators aren’t eager to declare they’re prepared to deploy the nuclear option.