The Senate on Thursday blocked dueling plans to provide hundreds of billions of dollars to help small businesses contend with the coronavirus-fueled economic meltdown amid a stalemate over the scope of the package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt MORE (R-Ky.) tried to pass an additional $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides loans and grants to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

“The country cannot afford unnecessary wrangling. ... The country needs us to be nimble,” McConnell said from the Senate floor on Thursday. “My colleagues must not treat working Americans as political hostages. ... We cannot play games with this crisis”

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But Democrats objected, with Sens. Ben Cardin Benjamin (Ben) Louis CardinPPP application window closes after coronavirus talks deadlock Congress eyes tighter restrictions on next round of small business help Senate passes extension of application deadline for PPP small-business loans MORE (D-Md.) and Chris Van Hollen Christopher (Chris) Van HollenMid-Atlantic states sue EPA over Chesapeake Bay pollution Trump payroll-tax deferral for federal workers sparks backlash Senators urge administration to make payroll tax deferral optional for federal workers MORE (D-Md.) referring to it as a “political stunt.”

“The majority leader knew full well that there was not agreement and consensus,” Van Hollen said, saying the GOP proposal as drafted was “designed to fail.”

Instead, Democrats tried to offer their own alternative to amend the GOP plan to include $100 billion for hospitals, $150 billion for state and local governments and an expansion of food assistance, in addition to the small-business funding. Republicans, similarly, rejected the Democratic measure.

The partisan impasse throws the small-business funds into limbo until at least Monday, when the Senate is next expected to be in session. McConnell told reporters after the back-and-forth on the floor that discussions would continue but did not specifically say that he would try for a second time on Monday to pass the small business funding.

Because lawmakers were trying to clear their plans by unanimous consent — allowing leadership to avoid bringing back members during the middle of a pandemic — any one senator could block the money.

The Senate included $350 billion for the small-business program as part of a massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress late last month. As of Wednesday afternoon, approximately $90 billion in loans had been approved, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Hillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers On the Money: Pelosi draws line at .2T | Jobless claims dip | Swing-state jobless numbers an issue for Trump MORE told lawmakers during a conference call.

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But administration officials and lawmakers quickly acknowledged that more money was likely to be needed as banks across the country say they’ve received a mountain of applications from small businesses, contractors and “gig” workers impacted by the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The Treasury Department sent Congress a formal request for an additional $250 billion on Tuesday, and McConnell quickly said he would try to pass it within days.

But Democrats appeared blindsided by McConnell’s decision to try to pass the funding on Tuesday. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt Schumer lashes out at Trump over 'blue states' remark: 'What a disgrace' MORE (D-N.Y.) noted that McConnell had not consulted with Democrats before announcing his plan.

"This unanimous consent request was not negotiated," Cardin said on Thursday before blocking the GOP offer. "It's not going to be enacted. The majority leader knows that.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Pelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership MORE (D-Calif.) and Schumer unveiled their counterproposal on Wednesday morning. It would have included an additional $100 billion for hospitals, $150 billion for state and local governments and a 15 percent increase in the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding.

Schumer also discussed the request on Wednesday with Mnuchin, who helped negotiate the first three bills. Cardin noted that he and Sen. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high Republican Senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal Hillicon Valley: TikTok, Oracle seek Trump's approval as clock winds down | Hackers arrested for allegedly defacing U.S. websites after death of Iranian general | 400K people register to vote on Snapchat MORE (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, are scheduled to talk to Mnuchin this week.

Mnuchin told CNBC on Thursday that Trump is "willing to talk" about more money for hospitals and states in the fourth coronavirus bill. The small-business funding is viewed as an "interim" bill between the $2.2 trillion legislation and a "phase four" proposal.

In addition to the extra funding, some Democrats also called to simplify the Paycheck Protection Program, which faced a rocky rollout last week amid confusion about the requirements to apply for the assistance.

“Yes, we need more money for this program. But for goodness sakes, let's take the opportunity to make some bipartisan fixes to allow this program to work better for the very people it's designed to help,” Van Hollen said on Thursday.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenWarren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon No new taxes for the ultra rich — fix bad tax policy instead MORE (D-Mass.) also called for a streamlining, saying small-business owners “have been put through hell over the past two weeks.”

Republicans and the White House scoffed at calls to broaden the package, accusing Democrats of playing politics amid a health and economic crisis.

“The ink barely dry on the $2.2 trillion dollar Cares Act, money largely not yet out the door (except for PPP), and Schumer and Pelosi to seek more spending for spending's sake. We need to make sure what we have already done works as intended. Then, fill the gaps,” Sen. John Cornyn John CornynAirline job cuts loom in battleground states Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll MORE (R-Texas), an adviser to McConnell, tweeted Thursday.

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McConnell said Thursday that there was "no chance" that the Democratic proposal, which he characterized as "sprawling," could pass Congress this week. Even if it did, he indicated that it does not have the White House's support.

“The president has already indicated that he would not sign it," McConnell said.

GOP Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioFlorida senators pushing to keep Daylight Savings Time during pandemic Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (Fla.) said while the Democratic request to provide half of the new $250 billion to smaller lenders was a “good goal,” it was “unworkable” because it would create a “new pool of money.”

Even if the Senate had been able to pass the bill on Thursday, it faced an uncertain timeline in the House. Democratic leaders had hoped to pass the new funding as soon as Friday by consent or a voice vote, allowing them to avoid bringing back members. But Pelosi said during an interview with NPR that the GOP bill could not get unanimous consent in her chamber.

“The bill that they put forth doesn't have, will not get unanimous support in the House. It just won't,” Pelosi said.

And Rep. Thomas Massie Thomas Harold MassieGOP lawmaker praises Kyle Rittenhouse's 'restraint' for not emptying magazine during shooting Rep. Dan Meuser tests positive for COVID-19 Liz Cheney wins Wyoming GOP primary in reelection bid MORE (R-Ky.) signaled that he was preparing to require a quorum, forcing a majority of the House to come back. He used a similar tactic late last month on the third coronavirus package, sparking ire from his colleagues and Trump, who referred to him as “third rate."

“Once again, they're recommending that just let Nancy Pelosi pass it on her own, that we could all stay home. And I'm saying that's not going to fly, doesn't fly with the Constitution, doesn't fly for accountability to the taxpayers," Massie said during an interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business.

Updated at 11:25 a.m.