Designated survivor

In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is an individual in the presidential line of succession, usually a member of the United States Cabinet, who is arranged to be at a physically distant, secure, and undisclosed location when the President and the country's other top leaders (e.g., Vice President and Cabinet members) are gathered at a single location, such as during State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations. This is intended to maintain continuity of government in the event of a catastrophic occurrence which kills many officials in the presidential line of succession. Were such an event to occur, killing both the President and Vice President, the surviving official highest in the line, possibly the designated survivor, would become the Acting President of the United States under the Presidential Succession Act.[1]

History

The practice of naming a designated survivor originated during the Cold War amid fears of a nuclear attack. Only Cabinet members who are eligible to succeed to the presidency (i.e., natural-born citizens over the age of 35) are chosen as designated survivors. For example, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was not a natural-born citizen (having emigrated to the United States at age 9 from Czechoslovakia) and was thus skipped in the official line of presidential succession. The designated survivor is provided presidential-level security and transport for the duration of the event. An aide carries a nuclear football with them. However, they are not given a briefing on what to do in the event that the other successors to the presidency are killed.[2]

Since 2005, members of Congress have also served as designated survivors. In addition to serving as a rump legislature in the event that all of their colleagues were killed, a surviving Representative and Senator could ascend to the offices of Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, offices which immediately follow the Vice President in the line of succession. If such a legislative survivor were the sitting Speaker or President Pro Tempore – as for the 2005, 2006, and 2007 State of the Union addresses, in which President Pro Tempore Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) or Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) was also a designated survivor – he or she would become the acting president rather than the surviving Cabinet member. However, it is unclear whether another legislator could do so without first being elected to that leadership position by a quorum of their respective house.

For the 2010 State of the Union Address, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan was the designated survivor. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also absent from the address. However, Secret Service rules prevented Clinton from being named the designated survivor since it was public knowledge that she was at a conference in London during the event.[3] Had a calamity occurred in Washington, Clinton (not Donovan) would have become Acting President, as her office is higher in the line of succession.[4]

List of some designated survivors

Date Occasion Designee Position Notes
February 18, 1981 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[5] Terrel Bell Secretary of Education [6]
January 26, 1982 State of the Union Unknown
January 25, 1983 State of the Union Unknown
January 25, 1984 State of the Union Samuel Pierce Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [4][7][8][9]
January 21, 1985 Presidential Inauguration Margaret Heckler Secretary of Health and Human Services [10]
February 6, 1985 State of the Union Malcolm Baldrige Secretary of Commerce [4][7][9][11]
February 4, 1986 State of the Union John Block Secretary of Agriculture [4][7][9][12]
January 27, 1987 State of the Union Richard Lyng Secretary of Agriculture [4][7][9][13]
January 25, 1988 State of the Union Donald Hodel Secretary of the Interior [4][6][7][9]
February 9, 1989 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[5] Lauro Cavazos Secretary of Education
January 31, 1990 State of the Union Edward J. Derwinski Secretary of Veterans Affairs [4][7][9][14]
September 11, 1990 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
(Gulf War Speech: 9/11/1990) 		Unknown
January 29, 1991 State of the Union Manuel Lujan Secretary of the Interior [4][7][9][15]
January 28, 1992 State of the Union Ed Madigan Secretary of Agriculture [4][7][9]
February 17, 1993 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[5] Bruce Babbitt Secretary of the Interior [4][7][9]
January 25, 1994 State of the Union Mike Espy Secretary of Agriculture [4][7][9]
January 24, 1995 State of the Union Federico Peña Secretary of Transportation [4][7][9]
January 23, 1996 State of the Union Donna Shalala Secretary of Health and Human Services [4][7][9][16]
February 4, 1997 State of the Union Dan Glickman Secretary of Agriculture [4][7][9][17]
January 27, 1998 State of the Union William Daley Secretary of Commerce [4][7][9]
January 19, 1999 State of the Union Andrew Cuomo Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [4][7][9][18]
January 27, 2000 State of the Union Bill Richardson Secretary of Energy [4][7][9][19]
February 27, 2001 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[5] Anthony Principi Secretary of Veterans Affairs [4][7][9]
September 20, 2001 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
(following the September 11 attacks) 		Dick Cheney Vice President [4][20]
Tommy Thompson Secretary of Health and Human Services
January 29, 2002 State of the Union Gale Norton Secretary of the Interior [7][9][21]
January 28, 2003 State of the Union John Ashcroft Attorney General [7][9][22][4]
Norman Mineta Secretary of Transportation
January 20, 2004 State of the Union Donald Evans Secretary of Commerce [4][7][9][23]
January 20, 2005 Presidential Inauguration Gale Norton Secretary of the Interior
February 2, 2005 State of the Union Donald Evans Secretary of Commerce [4][7][24][9][25]
Ted Stevens (R-AK) President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (Senator, not in line of succession)
John Doolittle (R-CA) (Representative, not in line of succession)
George Miller (D-CA) (Representative, not in line of succession)
January 31, 2006 State of the Union Jim Nicholson Secretary of Veterans Affairs [4][7][24][9][26]
Ted Stevens (R-AK) President Pro Tempore of the Senate
January 23, 2007 State of the Union Alberto Gonzales Attorney General [4][7][24] [9][27]
January 28, 2008 State of the Union Dirk Kempthorne Secretary of the Interior [4][7][9][28]
January 20, 2009 Presidential Inauguration Robert Gates Secretary of Defense [29][30]
February 24, 2009 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress Eric Holder Attorney General [4][7][9][31]
September 9, 2009 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
(Health Care Speech to Congress) 		Steven Chu Secretary of Energy [32]
January 27, 2010 State of the Union Shaun Donovan Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [7][9]
January 25, 2011 State of the Union Ken Salazar Secretary of the Interior [7][9][33]
January 24, 2012 State of the Union Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture [7][9][34]
January 21, 2013 Presidential Inauguration Eric Shinseki Secretary of Veterans Affairs [35]
February 12, 2013 State of the Union Steven Chu Secretary of Energy [9]
January 28, 2014 State of the Union Ernest Moniz Secretary of Energy [36][37]
January 20, 2015 State of the Union Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation [38][39]
January 12, 2016 State of the Union Orrin Hatch (R-UT) President Pro Tempore of the Senate [40]
Jeh Johnson Secretary of Homeland Security [41]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act: 3 U.S.C. § 19
  2. ↑ Knoller, Mark (January 30, 2007). "One Night Spent A Heartbeat Away". CBS News.
  3. ↑ Kamen, Al. "Hillary Clinton will be in London for State of the Union". Washington Post. Accessed 3 February 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union address
  5. 1 2 3 4 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, and 2009 speeches were given by incoming Presidents and not formal "State of the Union" addresses
  6. 1 2 Hershey, Jr., Robert D. (27 January 1988). "State of Union: Bewitched by Pageant". New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)" (PDF). United States Senate Historical Office.
  8. ↑ 1984: UPI, "Washington Dateline." Jan 25, 1984
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Rachel Weiner (February 12, 2013). "Steven Chu is the State of the Union 'designated survivor'". Washington Post.
  10. ↑ Gainesville Sun Gainesville Sun - Jan 21, 1985
  11. ↑ 1985: UPI, "Washington News." Feb 6, 1985
  12. ↑ 1986: UPI, "Washington News." Feb 4, 1986
  13. ↑ 1987: UPI, "Washington News." Jan 28, 1987
  14. ↑ 1990: Washington Post, Page C3. Jan 31, 1991
  15. ↑ 1991: Washington Post, Page C3. Jan 31, 1991
  16. ↑ 1996: USA Today, Page A12. Feb 5, 1997
  17. ↑ 1997: Washington Post, "Agriculture's Glickman Draws Doomsday Duty for Address." Page A13. Feb 4, 1997
  18. ↑ 1999: New York Times, "Not Being Invited Was the Honor." Page B2. Jan 21, 1999
  19. ↑ 2000: Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. Jan 28, 2000
  20. ↑ 2001: New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. Jan 30, 2002
  21. ↑ 2002: New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. Jan 30, 2002
  22. ↑ 2003: New York Times, "Ashcroft in Secret Spot During Bush Address." Jan 29, 2003
  23. ↑ 2004: AP, "Four to Miss Speech Due to Security." Jan 20, 2004
  24. 1 2 3 For the 2005, 2006, and 2007 State of the Union addresses, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate would have been the highest-ranking survivor.
  25. ↑ 2005: New York Times, "Five Officials Skip State of the Union Address." Feb 2, 2005
  26. ↑ 2006: Philadelphia Inquirer, "A Message of Energy, Strength." Feb 1, 2006.
  27. ↑ 2007: Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. Jan 25, 2007.
  28. ↑ 2008: AP, "Interior Secretary Skips Speech," Jan 28, 2008
  29. ↑ 2009: AFP American Edition, "Gates to Sit out Obama Inauguration," January 19, 2009
  30. ↑ Gates To Be Designated Successor On Inauguration Day, CBS News, January 19, 2009.
  31. ↑ Holder Staying Away From Obama's Speech, Washington Post, February 24, 2009.
  32. ↑ Energy secretary skips Obama health care address
  33. ↑ O'Keefe, Ed (25 January 2011). "State of the Union: Ken Salazar to serve as 'designated survivor'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  34. ↑ Associated Press (24 January 2012). "State of the Union: Tom Vilsack to serve as Cabinet's ‘designated survivor". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  35. ↑ "Shinseki absent from inaugural". Miami Herald. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "Energy Secretary to be Designated Survivor during State of the Union". FOX News. January 28, 2014.
  37. ↑ Miller, Zeke J (28 January 2014). "This Man Will Be Your President If The Worst Happens Happens". Time. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  38. ↑ "Obama's 'designated survivor:' Anthony Foxx". USA Today. January 20, 2015.
  39. ↑ Jackson, David (20 January 2015). "O". NationalJournal. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Shalby, Colleen (12 January 2016). "If #SOTU disaster strikes, Jeh Johnson ... or a Republican would become president". LA Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  41. ↑ Saenz, Arlette (January 12, 2016). "State of the Union: Jeh Johnson Named Designated Survivor". ABC News.

External links

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