Republican lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) want to keep the price…

Republican lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityOn The Money: McConnell previews GOP coronavirus bill | Senate panel advances Trump Fed nominee who recently supported gold standard | Economists warn about scaled-back unemployment benefitsDemocrats poke GOP over coronavirus relief: Where’s your bill?MORE (R-Ky.) want to keep the price tag of the next round of coronavirus relief legislation at $1 trillion, but that is looking like it will be a challenge.
The variety of proposals now being pushed by the Trump administration, GOP lawmakers and Democrats could easily push the new coronavirus relief bill beyond the $2 trillion mark, lawmakers and aides acknowledge.
McConnell is trying to get out in front of what he fears could turn into spending smorgasbord by trying to set a firm cap on the size of the package, according to Republican senators who attended a Tuesday briefing by the GOP leader and senior administration officials.
But hes drawing fire from conservatives within his ranks.
Its already spiraled out of control, Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityCongress set for showdown on coronavirus relief legislationGraham releases newly declassified documents on Russia probeMORE (R-Wis.) said after GOP senators met with White House chief of staff Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityOn The Money: McConnell previews GOP coronavirus bill | Senate panel advances Trump Fed nominee who recently supported gold standard | Economists warn about scaled-back unemployment benefitsDemocrats poke GOP over coronavirus relief: Where’s your bill?MORE, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and National Economic Director Larry KudlowLawrence (Larry) Alan KudlowMORE to discuss the upcoming proposal.
Johnson said that it just boggles my mind that fellow Republicans think a $1 trillion package as real fiscal constraint when the federal debt is more than $26 trillion and the deficit for 2020 is projected to hit $3.8 trillion.
The message from the GOP leader is that lawmakers will have to pick and choose among their top priorities and not simply cram in all that they can to ensure speedy passage of a bill that pleases everyone.
Sen. Mike BraunMichael BraunHealth care price transparency bill would be a win for taxpayers, employers and consumersIndiana attorney general loses reelection bid after groping allegationsClash looms over next coronavirus relief billMORE (R-Ind.) said McConnell is pushing a $1 trillion cap on the new bill.
Thats the figure wed be looking at. The leaders thrown that out there. I think that anything beyond that youre going to get a lot of different Republicans finding a way [to say] that they cant buy into it, he said.
But the debate over what to include in the legislation and what to set aside is already opening up divisions between the White House and GOP lawmakers and within the Senate Republican conference.
The disagreements will make it tough to meet Mnuchin’s goal of passing a bill by the end of the month, when beefed up unemployment benefits are due to expire. 
And fiscal conservatives including Sens. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityDonald Trump may end what George Wallace started Mark Cuban, Ted Cruz tangle on Twitter over national anthem and ChinaMORE (R-Texas), Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityOvernight Defense: House passes defense bill that Trump threatened to veto | Esper voices concerns about officers wearing military garbSenate rejects broad restrictions on transfers of military-grade equipment to policeMORE (R-Ky.), Johnson and Mike EnziMichael (Mike) Bradley EnziConservative group launches ad campaign for Rep. Roger Marshall in Kansas Senate raceKoch-backed group urges Senate to oppose ‘bailouts’ of states in new adsChamber of Commerce endorses Cornyn for reelectionMORE (R-Wyo.) are balking at the $1 trillion price target.
We cannot use the crisis to justify opening the spending floodgates and borrowing from future generations to fund nonemergency priorities, Enzi said on the Senate floor immediately after the lunch.
I dont know how were going to pay for what we got already, Enzi said after the speech. One of the new mechanisms here is, Ill give you everything you want if you give me everything I want, and thats considered compromise, he added.  
President TrumpDonald John TrumpMore than a dozen people wounded in shooting near Chicago funeral homeCleveland Indians players meet with team leadership to discuss potential name changePelosi calls coronavirus the ‘Trump virus’MORE wants a payroll tax cut and $1,200 direct stimulus checks while GOP lawmakers want to focus on funding for reopening schools, more money for advanced testing, and some measure of enhanced unemployment benefits as well as employment-targeted tax incentives.
Some GOP lawmakers, led by Sen. Bill CassidyWilliam (Bill) Morgan CassidyCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityThe Hill’s Coronavirus Report: California backtracks on reopening as cases soar nationwide; SoapBox CEO David Simnick says nimble firms can work around supply chain chokepoints to access supplies for sanitizers and hygienic materialsThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Argentum – California a coronavirus cautionary tale as it retrenches to stave off infectionsMORE (R-La.), also want to provide more relief to cash-strapped state and local governments.
McConnell said Tuesday morning that Republicans want to include another round of direct payments in the bill but the idea ran into opposition during the lunch meeting.
There was some support and some opposition, both, to the direct payments, said Sen. John CornynJohn CornynThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Divided GOP to unveil COVID-19 billTrump payroll-tax cut push creates new headache for RepublicansBottom lineMORE (R-Texas).
Cornyn said critics in the GOP conference argue that stimulus checks made more sense when Congress passed the CARES Act in March when people literally were not getting paid because of rolling quarantines. He said they make less sense now as workers return to their jobs or collect unemployment insurance.
The first round of stimulus checks included in the CARES Act was estimated to cost nearly $300 billion.
Some Republican senators argue that more discipline has to be exerted over what proposals are allowed in the bill, unlike the frenzied debate before the Senate passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, which was slapped together over a few days.
Somebody did raise the point that to stay under a trillion dollars youre going to be limited on how many things you can do, said Sen. Kevin CramerKevin John CramerCoronavirus talks fracture GOP unityGOP senators voice confidence over uphill Senate battleGOP skeptical of polling on TrumpMORE (R-N.D.) after the lunch. If you set a top-line number or a ceiling of a trillion, youre going to be limited on how many $1,200 checks you send out and how much of a payroll tax cut you can provide. You might have to pick one.
Sen. Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyDunford withdraws from consideration to chair coronavirus oversight panelGOP senators push for quick, partial reopening of economyNSA improperly collected US phone records in October, new documents showMORE (R-Pa.) compares another round of stimulus checks to loading up a money cannon.
At the same time, senior administration officials have pushed back against some Senate GOP proposals such as $25 billion in new funding for testing and $10 billion in new money for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The administration and GOP lawmakers are also at odds over how much to spend to help colleges and schools reopen.
Meadows has said the GOP legislation will include $70 billion to help schools cope with coronavirus while McConnell has pegged the figure at $105 billion.
One of the negotiators, Sen. Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntGOP discusses tying K-12 funding to in-person classesMcConnell: GOP coronavirus relief bill will include 5 billion for schoolsPelosi, Schumer set for first meeting with WH team on new COVID-19 relief billMORE (R-Mo.), told reporters Tuesday that the White House has shifted closer to the Senate GOP position on testing, but that more work needs to be done on the topic.
Democrats, meanwhile, want nearly $1 trillion just in aid to state and local governments. They are rallying around a House-passed proposal that would cost $3 trillion.
Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiPelosi calls coronavirus the ‘Trump virus’Democrats poke GOP over coronavirus relief: Where’s your bill?McConnell indicates he’ll unveil GOP coronavirus bill this weekMORE (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerNY group hit Schumer over lack of immigrant benefits in relief measuresHow a progressive populist appears to have toppled EngelMJ Hegar wins Democratic battle to challenge John CornynMORE (D-N.Y.) said after meeting with administration officials Tuesday afternoon that they want to see the joint White House-Senate Republican proposal before starting to negotiate.  
“The Republican Senate conference hasnt come to an agreement, and the president and the Senate conference hasnt come to an agreement. So were waiting for a bill and we will roll up our sleeves and get to work, Schumer told reporters after the meeting.
 The clamoring for different high-priced priorities is already causing discord within the Senate GOP conference.
Paul slammed Republican colleagues after Tuesdays lunch for gearing up to pass another huge relief bill.
The majority of Republicans are now no different than socialist Democrats when it comes to debt. They simply dont care about debt and are preparing to add at least another trillion dollars in debt this month, combined with the trillions from earlier this summer, Paul tweeted.