Episode 1 of 1

Veto of the Bonus Bill

When
March 3, 1817
Where
Final day of Madison's administration
Part of
President James Madison vetoes the Bonus Bill

Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill on his last day in office, citing lack of constitutional authority for internal improvements funding.

On March 3, 1817, Madison vetoed the bill, arguing that Congress lacked expressed power to fund roads and canals. He feared supporters were violating the Constitution, despite acknowledging the need for improvements. This act was his last act before leaving office.

Sources

  1. Bonus Bill of 1817 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-01-24
  2. James Madison Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.