line-item veto

[ lahyn-ahy-tuhm ]
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noun
  1. the power of the executive to veto particular items of a bill without having to veto the entire bill.

Words Nearby line-item veto

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How to use line-item veto in a sentence

Cultural definitions for line-item veto

line-item veto

The authority of an executive to veto a specific appropriation in a budget passed by a legislature. Viewing the line-item veto as an effective tactic against pork-barrel legislation, presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush unsuccessfully sought this authority, which many state governors possess, from Congress. Under current law the president must choose between signing or vetoing the entire budget rather than parts (items on budget lines) of it.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.