Senate Republicans are considering more seriously the idea of a "skinny" package for coronavirus relief (which would not include a stimulus check2).

According to The Hill, in a Tuesday conference call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and other Republicans discussed providing additional relief to Americans before the November election discussed moving forward with a downsizing bill in hopes of providing additional relief to Americans before the November elections.

"McConnell wants it," an unnamed source told The Hill. "McConnell said today that ...... He said that every senator with even the slightest weakness (seeking reelection) wants a bill that gets 51 votes."

"McConnell has said that he wants a bill that gets 51 votes,"

and that "he wants a bill that gets 51 votes.

This would be a majority in the Senate, but not enough votes to stop a filibuster by one senator trying to block the bill. Nor would it have any chance of passing the House.

However, Senate Republicans will be able to tell their constituents that they have passed something and will be able to force further concessions on the Democrats in the ongoing second round of stimulus negotiations.

Republican senators have already floated the idea of a smaller bill, but have yet to formally announce anything.

Democratic Senators are sticking to the comprehensive $3 trillion HEROES Act passed by the House in May. It also provides assistance to state and local governments and restores the $600 weekly federal unemployment assistance payments that were cut off at the end of July.

Senate Republicans introduced their own comprehensive bill, the HEALS Act, at the end of July. The bill would cost $1 billion and include a $1,200 stimulus package, as well as further assistance to government agencies and employers, but would cut federal unemployment assistance to $200 per week.

We know that the newly proposed $500 billion "skinny" package will not include stimulus check 2. Instead, it will focus on unemployment benefits, additional funding for payroll protection programs, and support for public (and possibly private) schools and universities.

While more specific legislation is in the works, it is unclear whether the "skinny" proposal will gain enough support to pass the Senate or persuade Democrats to move forward. Democrats and the White House are in a stalemate over how to proceed with the stimulus package.

Momentum could soon build as lawmakers return from their respective recesses next week after Labor Day. However, as Forbes reports, while the two houses have taken small steps toward agreement, they are fundamentally at odds over how to approach a second stimulus package.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is set to sign a $1.3 trillion bill, which House Democrats have revised upward to $2.2 trillion, and both sides are pushing the leadership to find a compromise.