Which secretary is not attending the state of the union

The two imperatives are that the designated survivor needs only to be in a discreet location during the State of the Union and be in a position to lead the government should the unthinkable happen. In reality, designated survivor could rank as high as fourth or as low as fifteenth in the chain of succession, despite only a month on the job! However, the lack of time in a new administration is disconcerting, but U.

Secretaries often bring executive experience from their previous careers: Senate records show that since , three former designated survivors had served as governors of their states, and two later went on to become governors, including current Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo. That is not to say the selection of a secretary is completely random or arbitrary. Since , the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture ranked eighth and ninth in line of succession, respectively have both served in this role six times each.

The reason why a certain Cabinet member is chosen is not usually disclosed. And though there are many implications of agreeing to this position, it is rare to see a person perform this duty more than once. He is also the lowest ranking secretary to serve in this position since Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson missed the address in None of this talk of a Presidential designated survivor is to say Members of Congress and Senators are expendable.

In a statement this week, Beijing-based journalists expressed deep concerns about "the lack of transparency and clarity" of Olympics-related reporting in China. American officials, while not revealing whether the U. Zhang Zhan's declining health was raised by the U.

State Department when it reiterated its call this week for China to ensure her "immediate and unconditional release. The United States says it is stepping up efforts to boost COVID vaccine production and continue donating vaccines to poor countries, hoping to reach a goal of ending the pandemic by next fall. Search Search. Home United States U. Africa 54 - November 11, VOA Africa Listen live. VOA Newscasts Latest program. VOA Newscasts.

Previous Next. The Constitution of the United States requires that the President give Congress a State of the Union message from time to time on the condition of the country. The Speaker and the Vice President sit on the dais, a raised platform directly behind where the President speaks. When the President arrives, he is escorted to the chamber by members of both the House and the Senate. The Speaker then introduces the President, who delivers his speech to the Congress.

In custom, one member of the President's Cabinet does not attend the State of the Union address. This way, if a catastrophe should happen that harms the President, the Vice President, and the other members of the Cabinet who are attending, the Cabinet Secretary who did not attend could then take over the duties of the President.