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President Joe Biden told Republican senators during a two-hour meeting he’s unwilling to settle on an insufficient coronavirus aid package after they pitched their slimmed down $618 billion proposal that’s a fraction of the $1.9 trillion he is seeking. No compromise was reached in the lengthy session Monday night, Biden’s first with lawmakers at the White House, and Democrats in Congress pushed ahead with groundwork for approving his COVID relief plan with or without Republican votes. Despite the Republican group’s appeal for bipartisanship, as part of Biden’s efforts to unify the country, the president made it clear he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning GOP support. (Mascaro, Boak and Lemire, 2/2)

A group of Senate Republicans held a nearly two-hour meeting with President Biden on Monday night to discuss coronavirus relief legislation, emerging to sound upbeat notes about continuing to work together — but with no deal in hand. Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package that Democratic leaders want to move quickly through Congress. The 10-member GOP group led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) countered with a much narrower $618 billion proposal, and appealed to Biden to make good on his campaign promises to seek bipartisan unity. (Werner Stein and Min Kim, 2/1)

Joe Biden was eager to meet with Republican senators Monday to discuss Covid relief legislation. But the show of bipartisanship is likely to be just that — a show. Advisers to the president say they are mindful of getting bogged down in talks with Republicans, whose offer didn’t even meet the president halfway on his $1.9 trillion package. And current White House aides who served in the Obama administration confess to being particularly wary after Republicans drew out negotiations and stonewalled much of the former president’s agenda. (Pager, Kumar and Barron-Lopez, 2/1)

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Biden would not “make or accept an offer” during a meeting with Republican senators on coronavirus relief later in the day and that he remains committed to a large package. “It’s an exchange of ideas, an opportunity to do that,” Psaki said of the meeting. “What this meeting is not is a forum for the president to make or accept an offer.” (Chalfant, 2/1)

Two paths have emerged for the next round of coronavirus relief — putting President Biden’s stated desire to reach across the aisle to get legislation passed to an early test, and setting up Democrats to find out how united really is their slim 50-50 Senate majority. Most bills require 60 votes to pass in the Senate; that’s why Biden on Monday is meeting with a group of 10 GOP senators who have a $618 billion counterproposal, a package less than a third of the size he is seeking. (Stevenson, 2/1)

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, on Monday argued that fiscal concerns should be set aside as the nation struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, putting pressure on centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to support a large COVID-19 relief bill. (Bolton, 2/1)

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) vowed on Monday that the Senate would take up a "bold" coronavirus relief package, appearing to reject a smaller offer from Republicans. "Congress must pursue a bold and robust course of action. It makes no sense to pinch pennies when so many Americans are struggling," Schumer said from the Senate floor. (Carney, 2/1)

The nation’s unemployment rate will not return to its pre-pandemic levels through the rest of this decade, meaning millions could be out of work even after vaccines are widely distributed, according to a projection released Monday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan budget office also projected a faster-than-expected rebound in economic growth as the nation’s economy recovers more quickly than analysts had initially expected. (Stein and Van Dam, 2/1)