Top administration officials are trying to quell backlash on Capitol Hill over a floated deal with Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Wilbur Louis RossTrump admin asks Supreme Court to fast-track excluding people in U.S. illegally from census Trump 'very happy' to allow TikTok to operate in US if security concerns resolved TikTok, WeChat to be banned Sunday from US app stores MORE met on Wednesday evening with a group of GOP senators.

The lawmakers in the closed-door powwow included members of Senate GOP leadership and Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Democrats step up hardball tactics as Supreme Court fight heats up Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP MORE (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken critic of a potential agreement.

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The meeting, according to Republican senators, was a chance for the administration to brief lawmakers on its feelings toward ZTE and China amid widespread skepticism.

GOP Sen. John Cornyn John CornynThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court MORE (R-Texas) added that, before the meeting, a "big concern was whether ZTE was being treated as a national security matter or just strictly as a trade issue that was kind of fungible in these trade agreements. … They assured us that the lanes were separate.”

Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the United States and Beijing were close to an agreement to lift a ban on American companies selling components to ZTE. The Commerce Department imposed the ban and sanctions after ZTE violated U.S. sanctions by selling equipment to North Korea and Iran.

Trump said on Tuesday that he had has not reached a deal with Beijing to help save ZTE, but added that he may ask for a fine of roughly $1.3 billion, new management for the telecom giant and for China to buy more American products.

Asked on Wednesday evening if the Trump administration would lift sanctions, Cornyn noted administration officials are still negotiating. Rubio separately told reporters that "I think they're considering alternatives."