Defying Trump, McConnell puts off vote on $2,000 checks, urges override of defense bill veto

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), walks from the Senate floor following an agreement of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) aid package on Capitol Hill Washington, D.C., U.S., December 21, 2020. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday put off a vote on increasing COVID-19 relief checks from $600 to $2,000 and urged senators to override President Donald Trump's veto of a defense bill, in a rare challenge to his fellow Republican three weeks before Trump leaves office.

McConnell tied the larger checks, which were demanded by Trump and supported by Democrats, to two other measures the president wants but which most Democrats oppose.