Final answer:
If the president vetoes a bill, it is dead unless Congress can override the veto with a 2/3 majority vote in both chambers.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the president vetoes a bill, it is dead unless Congress can override the veto with the approval of a 2/3 majority vote in both chambers. The president has the power to veto a bill if he or she disagrees with it, but Congress can still pass the bill into law if they have enough votes to override the veto. The veto override requires a supermajority of two-thirds in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
If the president vetoes a bill, it is not automatically dead. Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. If Congress does not override the veto, the bill fails to become law.
Understanding Presidential Veto and Congressional Override
If the president vetoes a bill, it is not necessarily the end for the proposed legislation. The Constitution provides Congress with the capability to override a presidential veto. However, this requires more than a simple majority; a two-thirds majority vote is needed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
When the president exercises the veto power, they must return the bill to the chamber where it originated with their objections. Congress can then attempt to override the veto by securing a two-thirds majority in each chamber. Historically, this is a challenging endeavor, as only about four percent of all vetoes have been successfully overridden.
Moreover, if the president chooses not to sign the bill and does not veto it within ten days (excluding Sundays), the bill will automatically become law unless Congress adjourns before the ten days are up, in which case a 'pocket veto' occurs. In short, the legislative process includes a system of checks and balances where Congress can ultimately make a vetoed bill law with sufficient support.