Glossary

Veto

The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress by returning it unsigned with objections.

Also called: presidential veto, regular veto, return veto

A veto is the president's constitutional power to refuse to approve legislation passed by Congress. Under Article I, Section 7, the president has ten days (excluding Sundays) to sign a bill; if he does not, it becomes law without his signature, unless Congress has adjourned in a way that prevents its return, which is a pocket veto.

To use a regular veto, the president returns the bill to the chamber where it began with a written statement of objections. Congress may then try to pass it over his objection through a veto override. Presidents also use the threat of a veto, formal "statements of administration policy," to shape bills before they pass. The veto is all-or-nothing: a president must accept or reject an entire bill, and cannot pick out provisions, as the Supreme Court held when it struck down the line-item veto in 1998.

The veto is a central tool of checks and balances. Presidents have used it hundreds of times, and overrides are rare. Critics of the power point to it as a way to block the majority's will; defenders note it protects against hasty or unconstitutional laws and gives the president a voice in lawmaking. The Constitution also gives the president no veto over constitutional amendments.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Veto override Congress's power to enact a bill over a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Pocket veto A veto that occurs when the president does not sign a bill and Congress adjourns, so the bill dies without a chance of override. Line-item veto A power, held by many governors but not the president, to reject individual items in a spending bill while signing the rest. Checks and balances The constitutional design giving each branch of government ways to limit the others, so that no branch dominates. Separation of powers The constitutional division of government into legislative, executive and judicial branches, each with its own distinct powers.