1) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is aiming for a PROCEDURAL VOTE (note a final vote) late this week on a still-to-be-unveiled, slimmed-down, GOP coronavirus relief package.

2) We should note that this is just a vote on trying to finish debate on this brand new, unreleased bill. And, it probably means the measure is going nowhere.

3) Republicans have struggled since July to coalesce around a coronavirus relief package on which they could agree and would get at least 51 yeas. Remember, Republicans control the Senate.

4) The Senate would have voted on a coronavirus relief package in late July or early August if they had agreement among themselves then. That never happened.

5) Keep in mind that this measure is REALLY slimmed down. That’s because McConnell says he has 20 Republicans who were opposed of doing much of anything on coronavirus relief.

6) A good jobs report last week, coupled with a staggering CBO report about an annual budget deficit of $3.3 trillion, doesn’t sit well with many Senate Republicans.

7) But McConnell faced pressure internally to do something to boost Republican senators facing challenging re-election bids.

8) With this procedural vote, McConnell is looking to show that Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and perhaps others are willing to support additional coronavirus relief.

9) Part of this gambit is to get them on the record to say they are willing to vote for additional coronavirus relief.

However, the other part of this strategy is to get Democrats on the record on potentially blocking the coronavirus measure.

10) McConnellologists know to pay specific attention to exactly what he says. McConnell typically says what he means. McConnell’s statement today was thus:

“I will be moving immediately today to set up a floor vote as soon as this week,” McConnell said.

11) Note that McConnell didn’t say that there would be a vote on the package itself. He didn’t even say it would happen this week. McConnell left himself a lot of wiggle room in that statement.

12) So here’s what will likely happen. McConnell will attempt to tee something up – a procedural vote on the coronavirus package – later this week. Not a final vote at all. It will probably never get to that.

13) The coronavirus package will need 60 votes in this “test vote” on Thursday at the earliest. It’s doubtful the Senate will touch anything related to coronavirus until then because it has a full slate of votes related to nominations already teed up in the queue.

14) However, what McConnell will do is take the House-passed $3 trillion package from May, alter it with an amendment, including all new provisions he wants to include, and put that on the floor late this week.

15) The bill McConnell is likely to use can skip over the motion to proceed. However, it does need 60 yeas to finish debate on the bill. And that’s why the procedural vote later this week will be so important.

16) The procedural vote will dare Democrats to vote nay. McConnell only has 53 Republicans on his side. So, even if he’s able to keep all Republicans together, he needs seven Democrats.

17) Republicans may apply pressure on moderate Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) or Doug Jones (D-AL) – who faces a challenging re-election bid – to vote yes to break the filibuster. But that still doesn’t get you to 60 votes.

18) Still, McConnell can then weaponize this vote against Democrats and portray them as obstructionists. If the Senate bill doesn’t secure 60 yeas, then the bill is dead in the water. Republicans can then blame Democrats.

19) But here’s what’s ironic: It’s unclear if McConnell even has 51 yeas for this measure on his side of the aisle. McConnell hasn’t been able to command much support so far on any plan he put forth. However, McConnell might not need 51 votes.

20) It’s likely this bill stalls out at the procedural vote later this week. Thus, it never matters if 51 GOP senators were never able to support it. This package never goes to a final vote.

21) But with the procedural vote this week, McConnell has given his vulnerable senators something to vote FOR. And, he can turn on the Democrats for blocking the plan.

22) Details are still sketchy. But consider how narrow this bill is compared to what McConnell and even the Trump Administration were pushing. The original target was around $1 trillion.

23) Fox is told this plan will run in the $500 billion range. It will include an extra $300 per week for unemployment benefits. That replaces the additional $600 which expires in July. There would also be some help to small businesses. $105 billion for education.

24) And, McConnell will also put liability protection in this plan. Watch to see if there is a benefit for home-schooling/school choice in this measure. Some GOPers have pushed that, big time.

We likely will get text of the bill later today.