98-157 GOV
Updated July 27, 1998
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Congressional Overrides of Presidential Vetoes
Gary L. Galemore
Analyst in American National Government
Government Division
Summary
The President’s veto authority is among his most significant tools in legislative
dealings with Congress. It is effective not only in preventing the passage of legislation
undesirable to the President, but also as a threat, sometimes forcing Congress to modify
legislation before it is presented to the President. Students of executive-legislative
relations suggest that Congress’s strength rests with passing statutes and the President’s
in vetoing them. Illustrative of this point is the fact that Presidents have vetoed 1,471
bills and Congress has overridden only 105 of them.
President William Clinton has vetoed 23 bills. Congress has overridden one of
these vetoes. As a veto threat is carried out, Congress is faced with choices: letting the
veto stand, the difficult task of overriding the veto, meeting the President’s objections
and sending a new bill forward, or resubmitting the same provisions under a new bill
number. In the case of vetoed appropriations bills, the result can be the closure o
1
f
federal agencies and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal employees, with
the inevitable disruption of federal programs and services.
Background
Historically, the veto power granted the President in the Constitution has proven to
be an effective tool for the Chief Executive in his dealings with Congress. Article I,
Section 7 of the Constitution provides, in effect, that a President needs the vote of only
one more than one-third in either the House of Representatives or the Senate to sustain
a veto. Congressional procedure and tradition, not the Constitution, have determined that
a vote of two-thirds of either or both houses of Congress means a vote of two-thirds of
1 H.R. 1854 was vetoed October 3, 1995. See: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
1996—Veto Message from the President of the United States (H. Doc. No. 104-122), in
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 141, Oct. 6, 1995, pp. H 9741-9742. H.R. 2492, the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996, identical to H.R. 1854, passed the House October
31, passed the Senate November 2, and was signed into law on November 19 (P.L. 104-53).
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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those Members present and voting (provided there is a quorum) and not, as is the practice
in some states, two-thirds of those elected.
The Constitution states that, when the President vetoes a bill, “he shall return it with
his objections to the House in which it shall have originated.” This type of veto is
referred to as a regular or return veto. The returned veto then becomes a question of “high
privilege,” or, in other words, takes precedence over other pending business before
Congress. Neither house, however, is under any legal, constitutional, or procedural
obligation to schedule an override vote attempt, but may do so anytime during a Congress.
It is not unusual for Congress to make no effort to override a President’s veto if party
leaders feel they do not have sufficient votes. In still other cases, vetoes have been
challenged and sustained in one house, eliminating the need for a vote in the other
chamber.
Although a measure may have passed originally by a large majority vote in both
Houses, a two-thirds majority of those present in each chamber is required to override the
President’s veto. Prior to 1969, Congress overrode approximately 1 of every 18 (5.7%)
regular vetoes. Since 1969, Congress has been more successful, overriding about 1 out
of every 5 (18.3%) regular vetoes. See Table 1.
Table 1. Vetoes Overridden, 1789-Present
Regular
Regular
President
Veto
Override
President
Veto
Override
Washington
2
—
B. Harrison
19
1
Adams
—
—
Cleveland
—
—
Jefferson
—
—
(2nd term)
42
5
Madison
5
—
McKinley
6
—
Monroe
1
—
T. Roosevelt
42
1
J.Q. Adams
—
—
Taft
30
1
Jackson
5
—
Wilson
33
6
Van Buren
—
—
Harding
5
—
W.H. Harrison
—
—
Coolidge
20
4
Tyler
6
1
Hoover
21
3
Polk
2
—
F.D. Roosevelt
372
9
Taylor
__
—
Truman
180
12
Fillmore
—
—
Eisenhower
73
2
Pierce
9
5
Kennedy
12
—
Buchanan
4
—
L.B. Johnson
16
—
Lincoln
2
—
Nixon
26
7
A. Johnson
21
15
Ford
48
12
Grant
45
4
Carter
13
2
Hayes
12
1
Reagan
39
9
Garfield
—
—
Bush
29
1
Arthur
4
1
Clinton
23
1
Cleveland (1st term)
304
2
Totals
1471
105

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President Clinton’s Vetoes
Of the 23 vetoes exercised by President Clinton, all have been regular vetoes, which
have been returned to Congress and which are subject to congressional override votes.
Table 2 provides information about the Clinton vetoes.
Table 2. President Clinton’s Vetoes
Date of
Override Attempt
Bill Number
Title
Veto
H.R. 1158
06/07/95
Second Supplemental Appropriations
No attempt.
and Rescissions Act for FY1995
S. 21
08/11/95
Bosnia and Herzegovina
No attempt.
Self-Defense Act of 1995
H.R. 1854
10/03/95
Legislative Branch Appropriations
No attempt.
for FY1996
H.R. 2586
11/13/95
Increase in the Statutory
No attempt.
Debt Limit
H.J.Res. 115
11/14/95
Second Continuing Resolution
No attempt.
for FY1996
H.R. 2491
12/06/95
Budget Reconciliation
No attempt.
H.R. 1977
12/18/95
Interior Appropriations
House sustained
for FY1996
01/04/96 by 239-177.
H.R. 2099
12/18/95
Veterans Affairs and Housing and
No attempt.
Urban Development Appropriations
for FY1996
H.R. 2076
12/19/95
Commerce, Justice, and State
House sustained
Appropriations for FY1995
01/03/96 by 240-159.
H.R. 1058
12/19/95
Securities Litigation Reform Act
House overrode
12/20/95 by 319-100.
Senate overrode
12/22/95 by 68-30.
Public Law 104-67.
H.R. 1530
12/28/95
Defense Authorizations
House sustained
for FY1996
01/03/96 by 240-156.
H.R. 4
01/09/96
Welfare Reform Act
No attempt.
H.R. 1833
04/10/96
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of
House overrode
1995
09/19/96 by 285-137.
Senate sustained
09/26/96 by 57-41.
H.R. 1561
04/12/96
American Overseas Interest Act of
House sustained
1996
04/30/96 by 234-188.
H.R. 956
05/02/96
Common Sense Product Liability
House sustained
Legal Reform Act of 1996
05/09/96 by 258-163.

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Date of
Override Attempt
Bill Number
Title
Veto
H.R. 743
06/30/96
Teamwork for Employees and
No attempt.
Managers Act of 1996
H.R. 2909
10/02/96
Amends Silvio O. Conte National
No attempt.
Fish and Wildlife Refuge Act
H.R. 1469
06/09/97
Flood Relief Bill
No attempt.
H.R. 1122
10/10/97
Partial Birth Abortion
House overrode
07/23/98 by 296-132
H.R. 2631
11/13/97
Disapproving cancellations
No attempt.
S. 1502
05/20/98
D.C. Student Vouchers
No attempt.
H.R. 2709
06/23/98
Iran sanctions bill
No attempt
H.R. 2646
07/21/98
Education Savings Account
No attempt.
References
U.S. Congress, Secretary of the Senate, Presidential Vetoes, 1789-1988 (Washington:
GP0, 1992), 595 pp. S. Pub. 102-12.
U.S. Congress, Secretary of the Senate, Presidential Vetoes, 1989-1991 (Washington:
GPO, 1992), 12 pp. S. Pub. 102-13.

U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Vetoes of Legislative Branch
Appropriations, by Gary L. Galemore, CRS Report 95-847 GOV (Washington:
October 6, 1995), 3 pp.
U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Veto Overrides by Congress,
1969-1988, by Gary L. Galemore, CRS Report 89-436 GOV (Washington: July 20,
1989), 39 pp.
U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, The Presidential Veto and
Congressional Procedure, by Gary L. Galemore, CRS Report 98-157 GOV
(Washington: June 25, 1998), 5 pp.
__ Presidential Vetoes, 1789-Present: A Summary Overview, by Gary L. Galemore,
CRS report 98-148 GOV (Washington: June 25, 1998). 4 pp.
__ President Clinton’s Vetoes, by Gary L. Galemore, CRS report 98-147 Gov
(Washington: June 25, 1998). 3 pp.

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