Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a remarkably candid moment, told reporters that during a closed-door lunch with his caucus Tuesday, he made a strong pitch for them to set aside differences over specific policies like the minimum wage hike and just vote for the president's COVID-19 relief bill.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., then went a bit further after Schumer left the room and said the majority leader had "begged" his members to drop their opposition, emphasizing that the relief bill is Biden's signature legislation, and they need to stick together.

"He's begging all of us -- despite disagreements people may have -- this is the Administration's signature bill...And we need to stick together," Durbin recounted.

Some moderate Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have expressed concern about a $15 per hour minimum wage hike included in $1.9 trillion relief proposal. Manchin said an $11 an hour increase would be more appropriate for his state.

Republicans have hammered Democrats for forcing the increase on businesses suffering under the economic strains of the pandemic, but supporters of the wage increase -- a doubling of the current federal minimum wage -- note that the Biden plan is implemented over a five-year period.

GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Utah's Mitt Romney introduced a plan Tuesday that would increase the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2025 with a mandatory requirement that businesses implement E-Verify to ensure undocumented workers do not receive the increase.

The GOP proposal is not expected to be adopted as Democrats speed toward passage of the overall Biden plan.

-ABC News' Trish Turner

The Senate has confirmed Tom Vilsack to serve as secretary of agriculture, in a 92-7 vote.

Sen. Bernie Sanders voted with six Republicans against Vilsack, who had the same role under former President Barack Obama.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

A spokesperson for Republican Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed reports to ABC News that McConnell intends to support the nomination of Merrick Garland to serve as attorney general.

McConnell's support for Garland was first reported by Politico.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday wrapped up two days of hearings on Garland's nomination. The committee is scheduled to hold a vote on the nomination on March 1.

McConnell's support for Garland is in stark contrast to his 2016 efforts that successfully kept Garland from the Supreme Court bench.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell doubled down on his position that the COVID-19 proposal from Democrats is far too large, not targeted enough and flies in the face of bipartisanship during a press conference Tuesday.

"We think this is dramatically more money than is required at this particular juncture. It also includes a number of things that have absolutely nothing to do with COVID relief," McConnel said. "And so it will be controversial."

McConnell said his conference is united Tuesday in "opposition to what the Biden administration is trying to do," arguing that Biden, who campaigned as a moderate, has been pushing far-left policies since his administration began, calling Biden's "a totally partisan approach to COVID relief."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Biden's pick for attorney general, Merrick Garland, was questioned by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, about his views on the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Garland cited Supreme Court precedent saying the right to bear arms in his belief is one that is "subject to some limitations," citing former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He wouldn't answer directly whether he supports "universal background checks" for all firearms owners but said that he believed it is important for checks to ensure that people like felons or other potentially dangerous individuals are not permitted to buy guns.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, used his line of questioning to raise concerns about the Justice Department being "politicized and weaponized" under the Obama Administration and cited former Attorney General Eric Holder's comments that he saw himself as a "wingman" to former President Barack Obama. Asked whether Garland viewed himself as a "wingman" to Biden, Garland said he didn't want to comment on any of his predecessors but said he "could assure you that I do not regard myself as anything other than a lawyer for the people of the United States."

When asked about the federal death penalty, Garland said the death penalty gives him "great pause" because of the racial disparity and number of exonerations that come from death penalty cases.

"I have had a great pause about the death penalty. I am very concerned about the large number of exonerations that have occurred through DNA evidence and otherwise, not only in death penalty convictions, but also in other convictions, I think, a terrible thing occurs when somebody is convicted of a crime that they did not commit," Garland said.

-ABC News' Luke Barr