The Veto: How Does it Work?

As we talked about last week during Defense Week, the presidential veto is a very powerful check for the president over the Legislative Branch. Congress can pass a bill, but to become an actual law the president has to sign it.

And if the president doesn’t want the law, he can choose to veto it.

But, that’s not the final act in the policymaking play.

If the House and Senate, each acting independently, muster up a 2/3 vote in each of their chambers, they can override the president’s veto. If they do, the bill become’s law over the president’s veto. He loses, Congress wins, the bill becomes law.

IF only one chamber meets the 2/3 override threshold, the veto is sustained—the president wins and the law does not go on the books.