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Presidential Vetoes (1789 to Present)
Since 1789, the President has had the authority to veto legislation
passed by Congress. This authority is one of the significant tools in the
President's legislative dealings with Congress. It is effective in directly
preventing the passage of legislation undesirable to the President, and
the threat of a veto can bring about changes in the content of legislation
long before the bill is ever presented to the President.
There are two types of vetoes available to the President.
The "regular veto" is a qualified negative veto, which is limited by the
ability of Congress to muster the necessary two-thirds vote of each House
for constitutional override. The other type of veto is a "pocket veto."
This veto is actually an absolute veto that cannot be overridden; it becomes
effective when the President fails to sign a bill after Congress has adjourned
and is unable to override the veto.
|
|
President |
Congresses |
Regular Vetoes
|
Pocket Vetoes
|
Total Vetoes
|
Vetoes Overridden
|
George Washington |
1st-
4th |
2
|
.....
|
2
|
.....
|
John Adams |
5th-6th |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
Thomas Jefferson |
7th-10th
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
James Madison |
11th-14th
|
5
|
2
|
7
|
.....
|
James Monroe |
15th-18th |
1
|
.....
|
1
|
.....
|
John Quincy Adams |
19th-20th |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
Andrew Jackson |
21st-24th
|
5
|
7
|
12
|
.....
|
Martin Van Buren |
25th-26th |
.....
|
1
|
1
|
.....
|
William Henry Harrison |
27th |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
John Tyler |
27th-28th |
6
|
4
|
10
|
1
|
James K. Polk |
29th-30th |
2
|
1
|
3
|
.....
|
Zachary Taylor |
31st |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
Millard Fillmore |
31st-32nd |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
Franklin Pierce |
33rd-34th |
9
|
.....
|
9
|
5
|
James Buchanan |
35th-36th |
4
|
3
|
7
|
.....
|
Abraham Lincoln |
37th-39th
|
2
|
5
|
7
|
.....
|
Andrew Johnson |
39th-40th |
21
|
8
|
29
|
15
|
Ulysses S. Grant |
41st-44th |
45
|
48
|
93
|
4
|
Rutherford B. Hayes |
45th-46th |
12
|
1
|
13
|
1
|
James A. Garfield |
47th |
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
.....
|
Chester A. Arthur |
47th-48th |
4
|
8
|
12
|
1
|
Grover Cleveland |
49th-50th |
304
|
110
|
414
|
2
|
Benjamin Harrison |
51st-52nd |
19
|
25
|
44
|
1
|
Grover Cleveland |
53rd-54th |
42
|
128
|
170
|
5
|
William McKinley |
55th-57th
|
6
|
36
|
42
|
.....
|
Theodore Roosevelt |
57th-60th
|
42
|
40
|
82
|
1
|
William H. Taft |
61st-62nd |
30
|
9
|
39
|
1
|
Woodrow Wilson |
63rd-66th |
33
|
11
|
44
|
6
|
Warren G. Harding |
67th |
5
|
1
|
6
|
.....
|
Calvin Coolidge |
68th-70th |
20
|
30
|
50
|
4
|
Herbert C. Hoover |
71st-72nd |
21
|
16
|
37
|
3
|
Franklin D. Roosevelt |
73rd-79th
|
372
|
263
|
635
|
9
|
Harry S. Truman |
79th-82nd |
180
|
70
|
250
|
12
|
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
83rd-86th |
73
|
108
|
181
|
2
|
John F. Kennedy |
87th-88th |
12
|
9
|
21
|
.....
|
Lyndon B. Johnson |
88th-90st |
16
|
14
|
30
|
.....
|
Richard M. Nixon |
91st-93rd |
26
|
17
|
43
|
7
|
Gerald R. Ford |
93rd-94th |
48
|
18
|
66
|
12
|
James Earl Carter |
95th-96th |
13
|
18
|
31
|
2
|
Ronald Reagan |
97th-100th |
39
|
39
|
78
|
9
|
George Bush* |
101th-102nd
|
29
|
15
|
44
|
1
|
William J. Clinton |
103rd-106th |
36
|
1
|
37
|
2
|
George W. Bush |
107th-109th
|
1
|
.....
|
1
|
.....
|
Total
|
............
|
1485
|
1066
|
2551
|
106
|
* President Bush attempted to pocket veto two
bills during intrasession recess periods. Congress considered the two
bills enacted into law because of the President's failure to return the
legislation. The bills are not counted as pocket vetoes in this table.
Source: Congressional Research Service
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Splendid Hall
Take a virtual tour of Splendid Hall and discover the architectural treasures and historical artifacts of the Old House Chamber.
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