Final answer:
When a bill is presented to the President, options include signing it into law, allowing it to become law without a signature after ten days, vetoing it, executing a pocket veto, or issuing a signing statement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Options Available to the President Regarding Bills
When a bill is presented to the President of the United States, several options are available under the legislative process. First, the President may sign the bill into law, making it official legislation. Alternatively, if the President does not sign the bill within ten days (excluding Sundays) of receiving it, and Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law without the President’s signature.
If the President objects to the bill, he may choose to veto it, sending the bill back to the House of Congress from which it originated, along with a veto message detailing his objections. Congress can then attempt to override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
There is also the option of a pocket veto, which occurs if Congress adjourns during the ten-day period after they have sent the bill to the President, and he takes no action; in this case, the bill fails to become law. Lastly, the President might append a signing statement to a bill he signs, expressing his viewpoints on the bill’s provisions, especially concerning constitutional interpretation and the limits of executive power.