In the 1970s, when members of Congress felt the executive branch had grown too powerful, they began using legislative vetoes more frequently on a wider range of issues. Presidents objected that this infringed on their constitutional authority. In 1983 the Supreme Court struck down the legislative veto as unconstitutional. Despite this ruling, Congress has continued to require executive branch agencies to submit budget requests to Senate and House committees for approval, which has the effect of giving Congress a veto.

In order to get more control over federal spending, many presidents asked Congress for a line-item veto to reject part of a bill. This is a power that many state governments have, but the Constitution only provides for presidents to veto an entire bill. In 1996 Congress passed a bill authorizing the president to veto parts of spending bills and tax breaks. Such line-item vetoes would still be subject to a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress to override. President Bill Clinton soon began exercising this power. Supporters of the line-item veto said it would help the president curb spending. Opponents said that Congress, not the president, should control spending. In 1998 the Supreme Court ruled that the line-item veto was unconstitutional and that Congress could not, in effect, give away its constitutional powers through legislation. In the words of Justice John Paul Stevens: “If there is to be a new procedure in which the President will play a different role … such a change must come not by legislation but through the amendment procedures set forth in Article V of the Constitution.”