Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republicans during a private lunch Thursday to expect President Trump’s impeachment trial to begin next week.

Three GOP senators said the Kentucky Republican warned lawmakers during the lunch that they should not expect to be able to go home next weekend, indicating that the long-delayed trial will be underway, The Hill reported.

Proceedings have been delayed because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to send over the two articles of impeachment passed by the House on Dec. 18.

But she said earlier Thursday that the articles — charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — would soon be on their way to the upper chamber.

“I’m not holding them indefinitely. I’ll send them over and that will probably be soon. I think we should move smartly and strategically,” the California Democrat told reporters at her weekly press briefing.

Her words encouraged McConnell to set a date, senators in the lunch meeting said.

“We thought, we as the body, that the speaker will … shortly send that over, so [McConnell] said next weekend don’t go anywhere,” said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota added that McConnell told senators the two articles would be sent over “soon,” expecting them in the “next day or two.”

“’There’s no reason for us to stay this weekend, but don’t expect to be home next weekend’ was the basic message,” Cramer told the website.

Once Pelosi sends the articles over, the trial would start the next day at 1 p.m.

The Senate would then be in session for six days a week, leaving aside Sunday, until they wrap up what is expected to be a weeks-long process.