Civics question 44 of 128 65/20 set
Who vetoes bills?
Official answer
- The President (of the United States)
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
The President of the United States vetoes bills. A veto returns the bill to the chamber where it started along with a written statement of objections, and it stops there unless two thirds of both the House and the Senate vote to override. Overrides are rare. Some fifteen hundred vetoes have been issued across American history and only about a hundred have been overturned, so the threat alone shapes legislation, since Congress often adjusts a bill in advance to avoid one. A pocket veto works differently, killing a bill without any return if Congress adjourns during the ten-day window, and it cannot be overridden. The whole bill must be accepted or rejected, because there is no federal line-item veto; the Supreme Court struck down an attempt to create one in 1998.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of System of Government, inside the American Government section of the test. It is also one of the 20 questions in the 65/20 set, so it is worth knowing well.
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