GOP senators say they do not expect a deal on a mammoth stimulus package on Monday, even as negotiations continue.

Members of the Senate Republican leadership team emerged from a closed-door meeting on Monday predicting that congressional leadership and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinLawmakers fear voter backlash over failure to reach COVID-19 relief deal United Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid House Democrats plan to unveil bill next week to avert shutdown MORE would not be able to wrap up the stimulus deal by the end of the day.

"Doesn't look like it at the moment. ... I hope I'm wrong. I hope they'll decide to come together," Sen. John Thune John Randolph ThuneWhat Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine, masks MORE (R-S.D.), McConnell's No. 2, told reporters after the meeting when asked if they could get a deal on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Even if they could, the GOP senators noted, staffers would still need to finalize drafting the legislation, kicking the Senate's work into at least Tuesday and guaranteeing the chamber misses Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOcasio-Cortez to voters: Tell McConnell 'he is playing with fire' with Ginsburg's seat McConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Video shows NYC subway station renamed after Ruth Bader Ginsburg MORE's stated timeline of passing the bill by Monday.

McConnell came to the floor around 7:20 p.m. and announced that the Senate will not be voting on a stimulus package again Monday.

"We will not be having any votes tonight," he said.

"The wish list isn’t getting bigger. It’s getting shorter, but we’re not going to have a deal today," said Sen. John Cornyn John CornynCalls grow for Biden to expand election map in final sprint Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Chamber of Commerce endorses McSally for reelection MORE (R-Texas), an adviser to McConnell.

He added that the earliest a vote could happen — if they are able to reach an agreement and all 100 senators give consent — is Tuesday. McConnell has warned that without cooperation, passage of the bill could be delayed until at least Friday or Saturday.

Sen. Chuck Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyGOP set to release controversial Biden report McConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Senate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg MORE (R-Iowa) added that his takeaway from the meeting was that there would not be a deal Monday. Even if there was, he added, staffers would still have to finish drafting it, something he said could not be done by the end of the day.

"We just had a discussion, and things probably can't get done tonight, and there were no details about the things that were in dispute," he said after the GOP leadership meeting.

ADVERTISEMENT

The pessimism over the chances of a deal Monday comes even as Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerRepublican senator says plans to confirm justice before election 'completely consistent with the precedent' Video of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral Graham signals support for confirming a Supreme Court nominee this year MORE (D-N.Y.) both predicted they would be able to get a deal Monday.

Minutes before Democrats blocked the GOP stimulus plan for a second time in as many days, Schumer said he was "confident" that they would be able to reach an agreement Monday.

"We're very close to reaching a deal, very close, and our goal is to reach a deal today, and we're hopeful, even confident, that we will meet that goal," Schumer said from the Senate floor.

A spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday about the GOP remarks.

A source familiar with the talks said the agreement under discussion would include Democratic priorities such as expanded paid leave, increased federal food assistance programs and state stabilization funding.

But sticking points continued to crop up throughout the day, with GOP aides accusing Democrats of trying to add unrelated energy provisions and objecting to help for farmers. Democrats, meanwhile, say Republicans want to use the bill to extend an abstinence education program.



Other areas still unresolved include how to address student loans, paid sick leave and worker safety standards.

"They want to achieve a lot of their wish list through this crisis," Thune told reporters.

Eric Ueland, the director of legislative affairs for the White House, told reporters on Monday evening that he and Mnuchin were continuing to negotiate, even as GOP senators did not expect an agreement by the end of the day.



"I wouldn't rule anything out. We're plugging away," he said when asked if there would not be a deal on Monday.

"We're exchanging a lot of ideas, legislative language, proposals back and forth, so there's a lot of work that's being done to try to finalize, and we do believe that Sen. Schumer and Democrats are operating in good faith," he said.

Asked about provisions unrelated to the coronavirus, he noted that both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiAs families deal with coronavirus, new federal dollars should follow the student Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates Hypocrisy rules on both sides over replacing Justice Ginsburg MORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Democrats had floated ideas, either in negotiations or in discussions about the House coronavirus bill.

"We've been clear with Senate Democrats when those ideas come on the table our lack of interest in them," he said.