And even if the leaders agree, any one senator or House member can force days of delays or even roll call votes, which as of now must be conducted in person despite the risk of spreading infection. Objections are all but certain unless both parties can get at least some of what they want.

With most of the country social-distancing all month, Congress so far isn’t scheduled to return in force for another week, and there have been discussions about delaying that even further.

So far, the machinations are a near replay of what happened a few weeks ago, when McConnell sought to run over Democrats by holding multiple votes on the Senate floor while key negotiations between Schumer, Mnuchin and top White House legislative liaison Eric Ueland happened in private.

Give and Take
Those talks, which included input from Pelosi, ultimately added hundreds of billions of dollars to what was then the third rescue package, swelling it to about $2.2 trillion and yielding an historic 96-0 Senate vote.

A wish list of ideas from Pelosi and her progressive wing helped give McConnell a political foil to keep his troops in line, while oversight provisions and the extra spending on assorted Democratic priorities -- including a vastly expanded unemployment insurance program and $150 billion for states -- appeased liberals.

There was no such bipartisan give-and-take last week.

In addition to this interim infusion, both sides have been talking about a larger follow-on package. But exactly what that will entail remains up for debate.

Pelosi has tamped down hopes among some for a massive infrastructure plan in the next bill. But senators in both parties have proposed all sorts of pricey ideas that could run into the trillions of dollars -- from extending aid to businesses to pay their workers, to expanded unemployment insurance, to assorted tax cuts.

Voting Measures
One item that has divided sharply on partisan lines so far is making it easier for people to vote without need to line up at the ballot box.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease specialist, said Sunday it was uncertain if Americans will be able to vote safely in person in November, should Covid-19 have a resurgence in the fall.