DOVER — Negotiations on COVID relief continue in Congress, with Sen. Chris Coons expecting a stimulus package to be approved in the coming weeks.

Sen. Coons, a Democrat who has played a key role in talking with Republican senators, said Wednesday President Joe Biden has encouraged him to keep up with the efforts to find common ground. Nonetheless, “there’s still a very large gap” between the two sides, Sen. Coons acknowledged.

President Biden’s stimulus plan totals $1.9 trillion and includes $1,400 checks for Americans, expanded unemployment benefits and tax credits for families with dependent children. The Republican plan is far more modest, coming to about $600 billion with $1,000 payments and more limited jobless benefits.

President Biden has called for unity, expressing hope Congress can pass a bipartisan deal while also standing firm that a large package is needed.

“The president is certainly hopeful that the process that’s underway now, the markups that are happening in the House, the markups where that will then proceed in the Senate will provide an opportunity for Republicans, Democrats of all different political stripes to put their ideas forward and have those ideas considered,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.

“At the end of the day, his view is that urgency is his first priority here, and that the American people — people who are concerned about getting food on the table, one in seven American families, people who are worried about reopening schools and getting their kids back in the classroom, people worried about whether their grandmother and their cousin are going to get vaccines — that’s where his priority is.”

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found 68% of Americans support the White House plan, with 24% opposing it. Seventy-eight percent back $1,400 stimulus payments, per the survey.

One of the main areas of debate among lawmakers has been who exactly is eligible for the full payments. Many Democrats, including the president, have supported providing $1,400 to Americans earning no more than $75,000 and scaling it down for those making more than that. However, there’s been pressure from conservative Democrats and many Republicans to lower that total to $50,000 or so.

Ms. Psaki said Wednesday the president is “open to the discussion about making them more targeted and ensuring that people who need relief the most receive the relief.”

Another area of disagreement has been a minimum wage increase. While President Biden and some congressional Democrats hope to include in the stimulus package language raising the wage floor from $7.25 to $15 over a period of several years, the proposal is facing stiff opposition from other quarters.

It remains to be seen if efforts to boost the minimum wage through the COVID relief plan will succeed. Democrats have no margin for error in the Senate — one member of the party voting against it would sink the push.

The Senate parliamentarian, an unelected official, will determine whether the increase can be included in the bill through the legislative reconciliation process. President Biden told CBS last week he does not think a higher minimum wage will “survive” reconciliation.

The Congressional Budget Office earlier this week released a report concluding a $15 minimum wage would result in 1.4 million people losing their jobs (a .9% increase in unemployment) but would also lift 900,000 people out of poverty. At least 17 million individuals would see higher pay.

While agreeing the federal minimum wage, which has remained the same since 2009, should increase, Sen. Coons is uncertain about doing so right now, given the state of the economy. The timing and the exact amount is up for debate, he said, noting the Senate parliamentarian may rule it is improper to include a higher minimum wage in the relief legislation.

The other issue consuming attention in Washington this week is the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump over his role in inciting the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

House impeachment managers finished presenting the case against Mr. Trump Thursday and now turn it over to the ex-president’s defense team.

Seventeen Republicans would have to join the 50 Democratic senators to convict the controversial former president, something Sen. Coons admitted is extremely unlikely given the consistent GOP objections and the fact 44 of the 50 Senate Republicans voted against the trial’s constitutionality. Still, he noted Bill Cassidy of Louisiana switched his position, voting for moving forward with the proceedings, after opening arguments.

Early testimony was “heart-wrenching and compelling,” Sen. Coons said, citing remarks from Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat. Rep. Raskin was at the Capitol with his family on Jan. 6, one day after burying his son, when a pro-Trump mob stormed in, causing his family (and many others in the building at the time) to fear for their lives.

Sen. Coons said he would prefer not to hold impeachment proceedings but believes it is necessary in the interest of accountability and protecting American democracy.

A recent CBS News poll found 56% of Americans want the Senate to convict Mr. Trump, with stark differences depending political affiliation.