Is an 'item veto' the same as a 'line-item veto'?

Yes, in modern American political terminology, 'item veto' and 'line-item veto' are used interchangeably to refer to the power to veto specific sections of a bill.

Does the US President have an item veto power?

No. The US President must sign or veto entire bills. The item veto power is held by the governors of most US states for state-level appropriations bills.

Can a legislature override an item veto?

Yes, typically with the same supermajority vote (e.g., two-thirds) required to override a regular veto, depending on the specific state's constitution.

What is the main argument for granting an item veto?

The primary argument is that it promotes fiscal discipline by allowing the executive to eliminate wasteful or unnecessary spending items ('pork') without derailing entire essential budgets.

item veto

Low

UK/ˈaɪ.təm ˈviː.təʊ/US/ˈaɪ.t̬əm ˈviː.t̬oʊ/

Formal, Technical, Political

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

The power of an executive (e.g., a governor or president) to veto specific sections or items of a bill, especially an appropriations bill, without vetoing the entire bill.

A selective veto mechanism allowing the rejection of particular provisions, often used in budgetary contexts to eliminate specific spending items while approving the remainder of the legislation.

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

Primarily used in political science, constitutional law, and government contexts. The term is a compound noun where 'item' refers to a distinct provision or appropriation, and 'veto' refers to the rejection power.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

The concept is almost exclusively American. The UK parliamentary system does not grant its executive (the monarch/Prime Minister) an item veto power; financial bills must be accepted or rejected in full.

Connotations

In the US, it connotes executive budgetary control and political negotiation. In the UK, the term is largely academic when discussing foreign political systems.

Frequency

Extremely rare in British English. Used with moderate frequency in American political and journalistic discourse.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

exercise the item vetogrant the item vetoconstitutional item vetobudget item veto

medium

power of item vetooverride an item vetogovernor's item veto

weak

legislative item vetothreaten with item vetouse of item veto

Grammar

Valency Patterns

The governor [verb] the item veto.The legislature [verb] the item veto.The bill was subject to an item veto.

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

appropriations veto

Neutral

line-item vetoselective veto

Weak

partial vetospecific veto

Vocabulary

Antonyms

package approvalwholesale acceptanceblanket assent

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

“Wield the red pen (on the budget)”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Rare. Might be used in discussions of government contracts or public sector budgeting.

Academic

Common in political science, public administration, and constitutional law papers.

Everyday

Very rare. Typically only encountered in news about state or federal budgeting.

Technical

Standard term in legal documents, state constitutions, and legislative procedures in the US.

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

The power to item-veto is not recognised in our system.

American English

The governor threatened to item-veto the controversial earmark.

adjective

British English

The item-veto power is a topic of comparative politics seminars.

American English

They debated the item-veto authority during the committee hearing.

Examples

By CEFR Level

The leader said no to one part of the new law.

The state governor used a special power to cancel only one part of the spending plan.

Exercising the item veto, the president rejected several specific appropriations while signing the rest of the bill.

Proponents argue that the item veto is an essential tool for fiscal responsibility, allowing executives to excise wasteful pork-barrel spending.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Imagine a shopping list (the bill). An item veto lets the shopper cross off specific, unwanted items (like 'caviar') while still buying everything else.

Conceptual Metaphor

THE BUDGET IS A TEXT; THE EXECUTIVE IS AN EDITOR WITH A RED PEN.

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

Avoid translating 'item' as 'вещь' or 'предмет'. The correct conceptual translation is 'пункт' or 'статья'.
Do not confuse with a general 'вето'. The key is selectivity: 'выборочное вето' or 'вето по статьям'.

Common Mistakes

Using 'item veto' as a verb (e.g., 'He item vetoed the bill'). The standard phrasing is 'He used the item veto on...' or 'He exercised the item veto against...'.
Capitalising it unless it starts a sentence or is in a title.

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

The state constitution was amended to grant the governor the , enabling them to strike specific appropriations from the budget.

Multiple Choice

In which political system is the 'item veto' most commonly found and used?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: Yes, in modern American political terminology, 'item veto' and 'line-item veto' are used interchangeably to refer to the power to veto specific sections of a bill.
: No. The US President must sign or veto entire bills. The item veto power is held by the governors of most US states for state-level appropriations bills.
: Yes, typically with the same supermajority vote (e.g., two-thirds) required to override a regular veto, depending on the specific state's constitution.
: The primary argument is that it promotes fiscal discipline by allowing the executive to eliminate wasteful or unnecessary spending items ('pork') without derailing entire essential budgets.