Praxis II Government and Political Science

Answer: D - Pocket veto refers to the president’s ability to hold on to a bill and let it die by not signing or vetoing it when Congress is in the last 10 days of a session. Ignoring legislation, or "putting a bill in one’s pocket" until Congress adjourns is thus called a pocket veto. A pocket veto is a legislative maneuver allowing the President to indirectly veto a bill. The Constitution requires the President to sign or veto any legislation placed on his desk within ten days while Congress is in session. If the President does not sign the bill within the required time, the bill becomes law by default.

The exception to this rule is if Congress adjourns before the ten days have passed and the President has not yet signed the bill. In such a case, the bill does not become law. It is effectively-if not actually-vetoed. If the President does sign the bill, it becomes law. Since Congress cannot vote while in adjournment, a pocket veto cannot be overridden.