US Senate moves toward possible Tuesday coronavirus vote, Pelosi sees deal 'on principles'

Pelosi told CNN there would be about $120 billion in the small-business aid package geared to underbanked, minority-owned businesses. She said Democrats also were seeking $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing.

"Testing is one of the places where we want the language to be as good as we can agree to; that we need a national strategy for testing," Pelosi said.

Widespread testing is crucial before U.S. governors can lift extensive stay-at-home orders and advisories intended to slow the spread of the respiratory disease. Trump has talked about testing as largely a state responsibility.

Representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican, said on Fox News that a bipartisan deal that would include $310 billion for small-business aid was progressing.

Zeldin said at least $50 billion more would be available for a separate small-business loan program under the deal, a provision still under negotiation. A Democratic source familiar with the talks has said that figure was more likely to be $60 billion.

But Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said aid for states and municipalities sought by Democrats would be excluded in the current plan. Trump said on Sunday he favored more aid for state and local governments but that it could be provided later.

That apparent omission was one reason a leading progressive Democrat, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, denounced the outlines of the bill, calling it "insulting."

If the Republican-majority Senate passes the bill on Tuesday, it could move to the Democratic-majority House as soon as Wednesday. Leaders there have told members they may try using a remote proxy voting system that a leading Democrat has proposed, said Representative Mark Pocan.

The proxy system would mean not all of the House's 429 current members would have to be present for the vote, reducing the threat of spreading the coronavirus.