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 (R-Ky.) delayed an initial vote related to a mammoth coronavirus stimulus package until later Sunday as a deal over the bill remains elusive.

McConnell moved the vote on a "shell" bill, which the text of the stimulus package would be added to, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m on Sunday.

The decision comes after McConnell had appeared determined to move forward even as Democrats fumed over the stimulus bill being circulated by Republicans.

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"The risks to our country grow every single day that we do not act. ... That’s why we are going to hold our first procedural vote in just a few minutes," McConnell said from the Senate floor less than an hour before punting it until early evening.

If McConnell moved forward with the procedural vote at 3 p.m., Democrats were all but guaranteed to block it by denying McConnell the 60 votes needed to move forward.

“In my view, right now it would be giving people unrealistic hope to proceed now. We should let people know immediately that Republicans have taken a U-turn,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen Christopher (Chris) Van HollenDemocrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Mid-Atlantic states sue EPA over Chesapeake Bay pollution Trump payroll-tax deferral for federal workers sparks backlash MORE (D-Md.), describing why he would vote against cloture.

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.) told reporters that he informed McConnell that Democrats could not support the coronavirus package as currently drafted.

"Early this morning, Leader McConnell presented to us a highly partisan bill written exclusively by Republicans," Schumer said. "The legislation had many, many problems."

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Sen. Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Top GOP senator calls for Biden to release list of possible Supreme Court picks MORE (D-Ill.) added that it would be a "serious mistake" for McConnell to hold the vote at 3 p.m.

“We are pleading with McConnell not to call this vote,” he said.

Senators appear to be making an eleventh-hour effort to try to get a deal after a meeting between the top four leaders 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 failed to break the stalemate.

“There are issues that have not been resolved. There are serious issues. We hope that we can get them resolved quickly,” Schumer said after the closed-door lunch.

McConnell told reporters that he delayed the vote at Schumer's request and to give negotiations more time.

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"The talks are continuing, and Sen. Schumer asked for a couple of hours, and I thought it was a reasonable request," he said.

But the hurdles to getting a deal are steep.

Democrats have outlined a litany of problems with the GOP stimulus package as currently drafted, arguing that it doesn't expand paid sick leave and includes hundreds of billions for corporations and raising concerns that it walks back agreements they thought had been reached on expanding unemployment insurance.

"Right now, people are very unhappy about the Republicans have put forward. ... The overall view is that they want to create a slush fund for giant corporations," Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenGOP set to release controversial Biden report Biden's fiscal program: What is the likely market impact? Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt MORE (D-Mass.) told reporters after the lunch.