the president`s use of the veto power

p Veto Power

The way a bill becomes a law is that it must pass the Congress and then be ratified (approved ) by the President . The President has the authority to veto (reject ) the legislation if he feels it is not quality legislation . Of course , Congress has the opportunity to override the veto with a 2 /3 majority vote . The purpose of this is so that there is a lack of imperial power in the executive office and the legislative branch . They must work together to arrive at passing legislation that the

public favors while maintaining separate but equal authority

The Veto is not an act of imperialism . The President is elected by a majority of the electorate (and usually a majority of the American people ) and when he acts he acts in the will of his constituents (Yes there are instances where the President attempts to rule against the will of the American people , but this usually leads to severe voter backlash in the next election cycle so it is usually avoided ) As the Chief Executive , the President essentially sets the tone for national domestic policy , but his power is kept in check by the Congress However , the President has an edge in the sense that he may veto legislation passed by the Congress . When the President threatens a veto he is essentially putting the Congress on notice that they must send their representatives back to their respective districts to rally support for an override of the veto if there is not a 2 /3 majority in both houses of the Congress . Throughout the history of the United States , the instances of the override of a veto are very rare . Often the American public is not very supportive of veto overrides with the exception of very extenuating circumstances

Veto Power Page 2

Does the veto increase the power of the President ? The answer is , of course , no because the same authority that the President has today to veto a bill is the same power he had 250 years ago ! To increase would mean that the power of the President in this regard would have to be expanded . It has not expanded it remains the same today as it had been since the inception of the nation

The line item veto remains one of the most curious pieces of legislation ever written . The purpose of the legislation was for the president to veto small parts of a bill rather than vetoing the entire bill . The purpose of this was to eliminate earmarks and pork barrel spending as well as providing the impetus for allowing the wheels of the legislative process not to come to a standstill amidst a veto . This legislation was proposed by Republican Ronald Reagan , but he could not get it passed through a Democrat controlled congress . Then , in an ironic reversal , a Republican Congress would pass the bill authorizing the line item veto and a Democratic president immediately signed it into law . The law was then overruled by...