In 1887 Grover Cleveland vetoed a bill providing relief for a natural disaster due to unconstitutionality

In 1887 Texas was hit with a severe drought that killed many crops and cattle. Congress attempted to pass a bill to provide $10,000 in relief to purchase seeds to help the farmers recover.

Despite believing the bill to be well intentioned, Grover Cleveland vetoed it because nothing in the Constitution permitted it, and he believed private charity was the better solution to help Americans in need, as opposed to the government.

“I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadfastly resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that though the people support the Government the Government should not support the people.”