Who is the designated survivor for the State of the Union?

According to the Constitution Center, the “designated survivor” tradition dates back to the Cold War. It typically requires a member of the president’s cabinet to be absent from the State of the Union Address, inauguration, and the president’s speeches to joint sessions of Congress in the event of catastrophic disaster to the Court. the United States Congress.

Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration soon to run the National Hockey Players Association, two people familiar with his plans told The Associated Press on Tuesday, just hours before the speech. president’s expression.

Last year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the designated survivor.

No designee survived Biden’s first speech before a joint session of Congress in 2021 as most of the cabinet did not attend the speech in person due to COVID-19 safety procedures.

State of the Union is designated as a “national special security event,” which clears the way for communication, funding, and preparation between multiple agencies in Washington, including the Metropolitan Police, the Pentagon , Homeland Security and regional police. Other such events include the Super Bowl and the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.