I hope this bill dies. This is an insane amount of money that we don’t have. The economy is healing. If government would get out of the way, it will heal faster.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is working to wrangle his caucus behind a pared-down coronavirus relief bill, with top GOP senators predicting they’ll be able to win over at least 51 Republican votes this week.

The decision to force a vote on Thursday follows weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiating between the White House and congressional Republicans on a smaller package that could unify the party after high-profile divisions and with the elections looming.

But even if McConnell is successful, the GOP bill won’t get the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate. Democratic leaders and Trump administration officials remain hundreds of billions of dollars apart on a new coronavirus package.

[…]

They are also deeply divided on the top-line dollar amount. Democrats have lined up behind the $3.4 trillion House-passed bill, but they’ve offered to come down to $2.2 trillion.

Senate Republicans introduced a $1.1 trillion package in July, but Meadows said late last month that Trump would sign a $1.3 trillion bill. The White House is reportedly preparing to support a $1.5 trillion price tag.