Checks and balances in the US Constitution: Presidential vetoes

Article I of the US Constitution requires every bill, order, resolution or other act of legislation by the Congress of the United States to be presented to the President of the United States for his approval.

When the President is presented the bill, he can either sign it into law, return the bill to the originating house of Congress with his objections to the bill (a veto), or neither sign nor return it to Congress after having been presented the bill for ten days exempting Sundays (if Congress is still in session, the bill becomes a law; otherwise, the bill does not become a law and is considered a pocket veto).

Occasionally, a President either publicly or privately threatens Congress with a veto to influence the content or passage of legislation. There is no record of what officially constitutes a "veto threat," or how many have been made over the years, but it has become a staple of Presidential politics and a sometimes effective way of shaping policy.

Here is a list of recent presidential vetoes. 

President	Regular vetoes	Pocket vetoes	Total vetoes	Vetoes overridden	Percentage vetoes overridden[2]	Percentage regular vetoes overridden
Total	1497	1067	2564	110	4%	7%
Richard Nixon	26	17	43	7	16%	27%
Gerald Ford	48	18	66	12	18%	25%
Jimmy Carter	13	18	31	2	6%	15%
Ronald Reagan	39	39	78	9	12%	23%
George H. W. Bush[3][4]	29	15	44	1	2%	2%
Bill Clinton	36	1	37	2	5%	6%
George W. Bush	11	1	12	4	33%	36%
Barack Obama	2	0	2	0	0%	0%

Barack Obama 

December 30, 2009: Vetoed H.J.Res. 64, Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2010, and for other purposes. Override attempt failed in House.

October 7, 2010: Vetoed H.R. 3808, the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010. Override attempt failed in House.