The veto power is defined in Article 1, Section 7 of the US Constitution. What is now called a "regular" veto is a case in which the President returns a bill to Congress (to the House in which it originated). The veto may be overridden by 2/3 vote of both Houses of Congress. The Constitution also specifies that if the President does not veto or sign a bill within 10 days (excluding Sundays), it becomes a law. This prevents the President from killing legislation through simple inaction.
The exception is if Congress has adjourned before the 10 days are up--thereby preventing a possible return with a veto. In that case the legislation does not become law. This situation permits what has been called a "pocket veto"--when the President does not return the legislation to Congress, but simply does not act. In that case the bill does not become law.
During the 20th century controversy arose about the meaning of the word "adjournment" and the possibility for a pocket veto. Did this refer only to ajournment between Congresses ("adjournment sine die") or between sessions, or did it refer to any break (e.g., a "recess.") which might occur at the end of the 10-day period for a President to act on legislation? In general, now Congress can provide for an "appropriate officer" to receive a President's veto message, and opportunity for prompt consideration of an override vote. Presidents may still assert a pocket veto, but accompany it with a message setting forth their objections, so that there will be no confusion as to whether the legislation was vetoed or should have automatically become law.
President | Congress | President's Party Seat Shares1 | Vetoes | Success | ||||
House | Senate | Total | Regular | Overrides | ||||
George Washington | Totals | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | ||
1st | 56.9% | 69.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
2nd | 56.5% | 53.3% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
3rd | 48.1% | 53.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
4th | 44.3% | 65.6% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
John Adams | Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | ||
5th | 53.8% | 68.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
6th | 56.6% | 68.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
Thomas Jefferson | Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | ||
7th | 63.6% | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
8th | 72.5% | 73.5% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
9th | 80.3% | 79.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
10th | 81.7% | 82.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
James Madison | Totals | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 100% | ||
11th | 64.8% | 79.4% | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
12th | 74.8% | 83.3% | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
13th | 62.6% | 77.8% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
14th | 65.0% | 68.4% | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
James Monroe | Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | ||
15th | 78.9% | 71.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
16th | 86.0% | 80.4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
17th | 82.9% | 91.7% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
18th | 30.0% | 64.6% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
John Quincy Adams | Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | ||
19th | 51.2% | 45.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
20th | 46.9% | 43.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
Andrew Jackson | Totals | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ||
21st | 63.8% | 52.1% | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 100% | |
22nd | 59.2% | 50% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
23rd | 59.6% | 41.7% | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
24th | 59.1% | 50% | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
Martin van Buren | Totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | ||
25th | 52.9% | 67.3% | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | |
26th | 51.7% | 57.7% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
William Henry Harrison | 27th | 58.7% | 55.8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
John Tyler | Totals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 83.3% | ||
27th | 58.7% | 55.8% | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
28th | 32.3% | 55.8% | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 66.7% | |
James K. Polk | Totals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100% | ||
29th | 62.3% | 58.6% | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
30th | 47.8% | 63.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
Zachary Taylor | 31st | 46.4% | 40.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
Millard Fillmore | Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | ||
31st | 46.4% | 40.3% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
32nd | 36.5% | 37.1% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
Franklin Pierce | Totals | 9 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 44.4% | ||
33rd | 67.1% | 61.3% | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
34th | 35.5% | 62.9% | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | |
James Buchanan | Totals | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 100% | ||
35th | 55.7% | 62.1% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
36th | 34.9% | 57.6% | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
Abraham Lincoln | Totals | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ||
37th | 59.0% | 62.0% | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
38th | 46.7% | 63.5% | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | n/a | |
39th | 70.5% | 72.2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
Andrew Johnson | Totals | 29 | 21 | 8 | 15 | 26.8% | ||
39th | n/a | n/a | 13 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 45.5% | |
40th | n/a | n/a | 16 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 10.0% | |
Ulysses S. Grant | Totals | 93 | 45 | 48 | 4 | 91.1% | ||
41st | 70.4% | 83.8% | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 100% | |
42nd | 56.0% | 75.7% | 32 | 13 | 19 | 1 | 92.3% | |
43rd | 68.2% | 63.5% | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 100% | |
44th | 35.2% | 60.5% | 29 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 86.4% | |
Rutherford B. Hayes | Totals | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 91.7% | ||
45th | 46.4% | 52.6% | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 66.7% | |
46th | 45.1% | 55.3% | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
James Garfield | 47th | 51.5% | 48.7% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
Chester Arthur | Totals | 12 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 75.0% | ||
47th | 51.5% | 48.7% | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% | |
48th | 36.0% | 50% | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 100% | |
Grover Cleveland - I | Totals | 414 | 304 | 110 | 2 | 99.3% | ||
49th | 56.0% | 44.7% | 202 | 145 | 57 | 2 | 98.6% | |
50th | 51.4% | 48.7% | 212 | 159 | 53 | 0 | 100% | |
Benjamin Harrison | Totals | 44 | 19 | 25 | 1 | 94.7% | ||
51st | 53.9% | 58.0% | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0 | 100% | |
52nd | 25.9% | 53.4% | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 75.0% | |
Grover Cleveland - II | Totals | 170 | 42 | 128 | 5 | 88.1% | ||
53rd | 61.2% | 50% | 81 | 18 | 63 | 0 | 100% | |
54th | 26.1% | 44.4% | 89 | 24 | 65 | 5 | 79.2% | |
William McKinley | Totals | 42 | 6 | 36 | 0 | 100% | ||
55th | 57.7% | 48.9% | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 100% | |
56th | 52.4% | 58.9% | 35 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 100% | |
Theodore Roosevelt | Totals | 82 | 42 | 40 | 1 | 97.6% | ||
57th | 56.0% | 62.2% | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 100% | |
58th | 53.6% | 63.3% | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | n/a | |
59th | 65.0% | 64.4% | 30 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 100% | |
60th | 57.0% | 66.3% | 29 | 12 | 17 | 1 | 91.7% | |
William Howard Taft | Totals | 39 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 96.7% | ||
61st | 56.0% | 65.2% | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 100% | |
62nd | 41.1% | 54.2% | 26 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 95.5% | |
Woodrow Wilson | Totals | 44 | 33 | 11 | 6 | 81.8% | ||
63rd | 66.9% | 53.1% | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
64th | 52.9% | 58.3% | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 75.0% | |
65th | 49.2% | 56.3% | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
66th | 44.1% | 49.0% | 28 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 75.0% | |
Warren G. Harding | 67th | 69.4% | 61.5% | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
Calvin Coolidge | Totals | 50 | 20 | 30 | 4 | 80.0% | ||
68th | 51.7% | 55.2% | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 66.7% | |
69th | 56.8% | 56.3% | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 100% | |
70th | 54.7% | 50% | 32 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 76.9% | |
Herbert Hoover | Totals | 37 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 85.7% | ||
71st | 62.1% | 58.3% | 19 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 81.8% | |
72nd | 50.1% | 50% | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 90.0% | |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | Totals | 635 | 372 | 263 | 9 | 97.6% | ||
73rd | 72.0% | 61% | 73 | 19 | 54 | 1 | 94.7% | |
74th | 74.0% | 72% | 148 | 84 | 64 | 1 | 98.8% | |
75th | 76.8% | 79% | 117 | 33 | 84 | 3 | 90.9% | |
76th | 60.2% | 72% | 167 | 126 | 41 | 2 | 98.4% | |
77th | 61.4% | 69% | 82 | 79 | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
78th | 51.0% | 59% | 46 | 29 | 17 | 2 | 93.1% | |
79th | 55.6% | 59% | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
Harry S. Truman | Totals | 250 | 180 | 70 | 12 | 93.3% | ||
79th | 55.6% | 59% | 74 | 54 | 20 | 0 | 100% | |
80th | 43.2% | 47% | 75 | 42 | 33 | 6 | 85.7% | |
81st | 60.5% | 56% | 79 | 70 | 9 | 3 | 95.7% | |
82nd | 50.4% | 51% | 22 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 78.6% | |
Dwight D. Eisenhower | Totals | 181 | 73 | 108 | 2 | 97.3% | ||
83rd | 50.8% | 50% | 52 | 21 | 31 | 0 | 100% | |
84th | 46.7% | 49% | 34 | 12 | 22 | 0 | 100% | |
85th | 46.2% | 49% | 51 | 18 | 22 | 0 | 100% | |
86th | 35.2% | 35% | 44 | 22 | 22 | 2 | 90.9% | |
John F. Kennedy | Totals | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 100% | ||
87th | 60.5% | 64% | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 100% | |
88th | 59.5% | 66% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
Lyndon B. Johnson | Totals | 30 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ||
88th | 59.5% | 66% | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100% | |
89th | 67.8% | 68% | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 100% | |
90th | 56.8% | 64% | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 100% | |
Richard Nixon | Totals | 43 | 26 | 17 | 7 | 73.1% | ||
91st | 44.1% | 43% | 11 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 62.5% | |
92nd | 41.4% | 44% | 20 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 66.7% | |
93rd | 44.1% | 42% | 12 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 83.3% | |
Gerald R. Ford | Totals | 66 | 48 | 18 | 12 | 75.0% | ||
93rd | 44.1% | 42% | 27 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 75.0% | |
94th | 33.1% | 38% | 39 | 32 | 7 | 8 | 75.0% | |
Jimmy Carter | Totals | 31 | 13 | 18 | 2 | 84.6% | ||
95th | 67.1% | 61% | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 100% | |
96th | 63.7% | 58% | 12 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71.4% | |
Ronald Reagan | Totals | 78 | 39 | 39 | 9 | 76.9% | ||
97th | 44.1% | 53% | 15 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 77.8% | |
98th | 38.2% | 54% | 24 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 77.8% | |
99th | 41.8% | 53% | 20 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 84.6% | |
100th | 40.7% | 45% | 19 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 62.5% | |
George Bush | Totals | 44 | 29 | 15 | 1 | 96.6% | ||
101st | 40.2% | 45% | 20 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 100% | |
102nd | 38.4% | 44% | 24 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 92.9% | |
William J. Clinton | Totals | 37 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 94.4% | ||
103rd | 59.3% | 57% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
104th | 46.9% | 48% | 17 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 94.1% | |
105th | 47.4% | 45% | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 87.5% | |
106th | 48.5% | 45% | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
George W. Bush | Totals | 12 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 63.6% | ||
107th | 50.8% | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
108th | 52.6% | 51% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
109th | 53.3% | 55% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
110th | 46.4% | 49% | 11 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 60.0% | |
Barack Obama | Totals | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 91.7% | ||
111th3 | 58.9% | 60% | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
112th3 | 44.4% | 53% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
113th4 | 46.2% | 55% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
114th4 | 43.2% | 46% | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 90% | |
Donald J. Trump | Totals | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 90.0% | ||
115th4 | 55.4% | 52% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |
116th4 | 45.7% | 53% | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 90.0% | |
Joseph R. Biden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | |||
117th4 | TBD | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
Last Updated
Data through January 8, 2021 (116th Congress, 2nd Session)
Notes
1 Percentage following election. Partisan divisions often change in the middle of a session due to mid-term vacancies.
2 Proportion of regular vetoes that are not overridden. "Pocket Vetoes" can only occur after a session of Congress has adjourned and cannot be overridden by
Congress.
3 For the purposes of calculating the Democratic share of the Senate in the 111th and 112th Congresses the APP includes the two independent Senators (Lieberman-CT and Sanders-VT) because they caucus with the Democrats.
4 For the purpose of calculating the Democratic share of the Senate in the 113th through 117th Congresses, the APP includes the independent Senators Sanders (VT) and King (ME)
because they caucus with the Democrats.
Source(s)
• House Partisan Divisions adapted from the Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
• Senate Partisan Divisions adapted from the United States Senate Historical Office.
• 1789 - 1945 vetoes data obtained from "Presidential Vetoes, 1789-1988" (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1992).
• 1945 - present vetoes data compiled by Gerhard Peters, The American
Presidency Project.
Citations
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley. "Presidential Vetoes." The American Presidency Project. Ed. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California. 1999-2021. //www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/323889