| The Veto-Free Presidency: George W. Bush (2001-Present)
Dunn Tenpas, Kathryn
Issues in Governance Studies, July 2006, online edition
President Bush has only vetoed a single bill after more than five years in office (he sent the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act back to Congress in mid-July 2006). This is extremely unusual. “Perhaps the most unique feature of the Bush administration is its protracted period of unified party control of the government, a stark contrast to the divided governments of George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. How does a unified government affect the presidential veto? Does it inhibit a president’s exercise of the veto, thus impeding our political system’s critical checks and balances?” The author looks at the historical context of the veto to provide insight into the Bush administration’s veto-free tactics and strategies. Katryn Dunn Tenpas is Visiting Fellow, The Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis.
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