Pocket veto refers to what presidential action?

• A. Regular veto
• B. Veto while in session
• C. Killing by inaction after adjourns
• D. Pocket veto

Answer: (D)

Pocket veto is when the president lets a bill die by not signing it after Congress has adjourned, so the bill cannot become law. It’s a veto by inaction rather than an active rejection. This hinges on timing: the president has ten days to act, but if Congress adjourns in that window, the bill isn’t eligible to be returned, and it dies. That inaction after adjournment is what defines a pocket veto, distinct from a regular veto where the president explicitly refuses the bill while Congress is still in session.