Pocket veto
Definition
A pocket veto happens when the president does not sign a bill within 10 days and Congress has adjourned during that window, so the bill dies without a formal veto message. Unlike a regular veto, Congress cannot override it since there is no bill to send back.
Why it matters
Because a pocket veto cannot be overridden, it is a stronger tool than a regular veto, letting a president kill a bill quietly, without the political cost of publicly rejecting it or facing a congressional override vote. Its use depends entirely on Congress's adjournment calendar, so both branches sometimes maneuver session schedules to enable or block it.
Seen in the wild
No president has used a pocket veto since the Clinton administration, since Congress has largely avoided the long adjournments that create the opportunity, keeping brief pro forma sessions specifically to prevent presidents from claiming one.1