How can Congress override a presidential veto?

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President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Medicare Bill at a table beside former President Harry S. Truman, with Lady Bird Johnson and others standing behind them. — Legislation Former U.S. president Harry S. Truman (right) looking on as U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Medicare bill at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, July 30, 1965.

Under the United States Constitution, Congress can override a presidential veto by securing a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.412

The process functions as a critical component of the system of checks and balances, ensuring that no single branch of government holds absolute power over the legislative process. When the president returns a bill with objections, each house must reconsider the measure. If both chambers approve the bill again by the required two-thirds margin—determined by a recorded vote of yeas and nays—the bill becomes law without the president's signature.34

This mechanism allows the legislative branch to maintain its authority when there is a strong consensus, even in the face of executive opposition.25