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First subject of the week, the State of the Union Address or is it the annual message or is it a speech to a Joint Session of Congress. Some of the above?
This week, US President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak before the US Senate and the House of Representatives, hence at a Joint Session of Congress.
Article II, section 3 of the US Constitution states that the president shall do this, quote, "from time to time." It doesn't say it has to be done on TV. It doesn't say it has to be done in person. It doesn't say when the information has to be given.
Tradition plays a dominant role in the president's annual message--everything we're used to seeing, even when we're used to seeing it. The previous six presidents gave their first speeches to the entire Congress in February.
But that's been a recent tradition, not a constitutional requirement. In fact, it's tradition that a president's first speech to the entire Congress isn't called a State of the Union Address. The idea behind that is that the newly inaugurated leader hasn't been in office long enough to be an authority on the State of the Union.
"CNN 10" contributor, Rachel Janfanza, explores what exactly is happening Wednesday night.
RACHEL JANFANZA: President Biden will soon deliver his first address to a Joint Session of Congress. But Carl, it technically won't be his first State of the Union Address, which is what the president's Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress, the Justices of the Supreme Court, the President's Cabinet, and other special guests is usually called.
Traditionally, a president is in office for a year before they get their first State of the Union Address. But presidents are usually invited to speak before a Joint Session of Congress during their first few months in office.
This speech, before both the House of Representatives and the Senate Chambers, can be referred to as an annual message or a message on a particular topic, such as an economic message.
The tradition is rooted in the Constitution. The Constitution states that the president shall, from time to time, give the Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.
While the concept of the yearly check-in is the same, the linguistics are different, and the guest list may be smaller, especially this year, given the COVID-19 pandemic.
The history of a presidential address to Congress dates back to President George Washington, who was the first to deliver a regular address before a joint session in New York in 1790. The message used to be known as the President's Annual Message to Congress until 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to it as the Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union. From 1942 to 1946, it began to be informally called the State of the Union Message or Address. And since 1947, it has officially been known as the State of the Union Address.
During the State of the Union, the president reflects on the past year how the country is doing and uses the opportunity to highlight their administration's legislative agenda, which needs congressional support.
In modern history, presidents have used their first address to a joint session to outline their goals and lay out hopes for their administration.
So, Carl, while a Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress during their first year in office may not have all the formal fanfare of a State of the Union, it can be used to highlight the president's agenda and set a forward-thinking tone.
