Q: What is the State of the Union address? A: The State of the Union address originated from Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution which states that the President, “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” The tradition of delivering the State of the Union address in person began with America’s first President, George Washington, and continued with our second President, John Adams. However in 1801, our third President, Thomas Jefferson, sent his State of the Union address to Congress in writing. That precedent continued until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson delivered his message in person. The message was first referred to as the “State of the Union address” by President Franklin Roosevelt, and the title was made official by President Harry Truman. In keeping with tradition, President Barack Obama is scheduled to give his State of the Union address in person before a joint session of Congress and the American people on Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at 8 p.m. CT.
Q: How can I hear the State of the Union address? A: President Obama’s State of the Union address will be broadcast by many television and radio stations all throughout the country. President Calvin Coolidge’s 1923 State of the Union address was the first to be broadcast over the radio, and President Truman’s 1947 State of the Union address was the first to be broadcast on television. Today, a response from a member of the other political party also is broadcast after the President’s remarks are finished. The first to do this were Senator Everett Dirksen and Representative Gerald Ford in 1966, when they made a televised joint response to President Lyndon Johnson’s State of the Union address. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is scheduled to give the Republican response to President Obama’s 2010 State of the Union address.
Q: If all of America’s leaders are in the Capitol, what happens if there is an attack? A: In order to keep the continuity of government in place in case of an attack, one member of the President’s cabinet has typically not attended each State of the Union address. Since 9-11, congressional leadership has gone even farther by designating two members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives representing both political parties to be absent from the Capitol during the President’s speech.