Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is the “designated survivor” for President Trump’s first State of the Union speech.
A White House spokesman confirmed to The Hill that Perdue will not be present for the address Tuesday night, instead spending it in a secure location.
For every State of the Union or presidential address to a joint session of Congress, a Cabinet member is chosen to sit out as a precaution for an incident such as an attack on the Capitol.
{mosads}
Perdue, a former GOP governor of Georgia, was tapped to lead the Department of Agriculture by Trump last January.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was the designated survivor for Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress in 2017.
The secretary of Agriculture is ninth in the line of succession for the presidency.