In the United States, the term "veto" is used to describe an action by which the president prevents an act passed by Congress from becoming law.
Although the term "veto" does not appear in the United States Constitution, Article I requires each bill and joint resolution (except joint resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment) approved by the Congress to be presented to the president for his approval.
[2] Occasionally, a president either publicly or privately threatens Congress with a veto to influence the content or passage of legislation.
There is no record of what constitutes a "veto threat" or how many have been made over the years, but it has become a staple of presidential politics and a sometimes effective way of shaping policy.
[3] A president may also warn Congress of a veto of a particular bill so as to persuade Congress not to waste time passing particular legislation or including certain provisions in a bill when the president is prepared to veto it.
4476, an act to provide for the appointment of shorthand reporters in and for the United States Courts in California, was not presented to the President for his signature.
[9]: 56 It therefore expired at the adjournment sine die of the 44th Congress on March 3, 1877, but is not counted in the tables above.
[9]: 65–137, 147–178 Strongly opposed to what he perceived as "pork barrel" spending, and favoring limited government, he vetoed more than 200 private bills granting pensions to individual Civil War veterans.
Reacting to these vetoes, Congress passed a bill that would have granted a pension to any disabled veteran.
[9] Wilson wrote: "The President is no greater than his prerogative of veto makes him; he is, in other words, powerful rather as a branch of the legislature than as the titular head of the Executive.
"[10] Some of Wilson's vetoes include: Harding vetoed the Soldiers' Adjusted Compensation Act (soldiers' bonus) on September 19, 1922, arguing the country could not afford the cost during the postwar recession.
This is partly because of the many new ideas for solutions to the problems caused by the Great Depression and World War II, and partly because he served three full terms (Roosevelt died roughly three months into his fourth term).
Another was the McCarran Internal Security Act, which established the Subversive Activities Control Board to investigate suspected communist and/or fascist sympathizers.
Two of these vetoes were overridden, the Postal and Federal Employees' Salary Increase Acts of 1960 and the Public works appropriations for 1960 fiscal year.
This bill would have provided for payment, "as a gratuity," of $45,482 to Mr. Burt and for similar payments of $36,750 each to the widow and son of Douglas E. Kennedy for injuries and other damages Mr. Burt and Mr. Kennedy sustained as a result of gunshot wounds inflicted by U.S. military personnel in the Dominican Republic in 1965.
On June 5, 1980, Carter vetoed a bill that repealed a crude oil import fee of $4.62 per barrel.
In August 1980, Congress overrode his veto of a veterans' health care bill, by votes of 401–5 in the House, and 85–0 in the Senate.