Bills Vetoed Under the Obama Administration

Continuing Appropriations Resolution for 2010

When Obama vetoed the Continuing Appropriations Resolution for 2010 in December of 2009, his reasons were technical rather than content-related. The vetoed legislation was a stop-gap spending measure passed by Congress in the event it couldn't agree on a spending bill for the Department of Defense. It did agree, so the stop-gap bill was no longer needed. Obama even called the legislation "unnecessary" in his veto memo.

Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010

Obama vetoed the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010 in October of that year after critics said it would make foreclosure fraud easier to carry out by mandating that mortgage records be recognized across state lines. The measure was proposed at a time when mortgage companies acknowledged widespread forgeries of records and were themselves opposed to the idea. 

" ... We need to think through the intended and unintended consequences of this bill on consumer protections, especially in light of the recent developments with mortgage processors," Obama wrote in his veto memo.

Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act

Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act in February of 2015. He vetoed the Act because it would have circumvented his administration's authority and remove their say in whether the project to carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico should be undertaken. The Keystone XL Pipeline would carry oil 1,179 miles from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska. Estimates have placed the cost of building the pipeline at around $7.6 billion.

In a veto memo to Congress, Obama wrote: "Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest ... The Presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously. But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people. And because this act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short thorough consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest—including our security, safety, and the environment—it has earned my veto."

National Labor Relations Board Union Election Rule

Obama vetoed the National Labor Relations Board Union Election Rule in March of 2015. This legislation would have scrapped a set of procedural rules regarding the union organizing process, including allowing for some records to be filed by email and speeding up union elections.

As Obama wrote in his veto memo for this decision: "Workers deserve a level playing field that lets them freely choose to make their voices heard, and this requires fair and streamlined procedures for determining whether to have unions as their bargaining representative. Because this resolution seeks to undermine a streamlined democratic process that allows American workers to freely choose to make their voices heard, I cannot support it."