Treasury Secretary Anthony Foxx will miss Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, serving as this year’s “designated survivor.”
Before each State of the Union address, the White House chooses one member in the line of succession in case a catastrophic emergency wipes out the president and other senior leaders.
{mosads}That individual is whisked to an undisclosed location and kept under tight security until the president safely returns to the White House.
Designated successors are required to be natural-born citizens, at least 35 years old and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years — the constitutional requirements to become president.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz fulfilled the role last year, his second time sitting out the address.
Former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Attorney General Eric Holder have also filled the role.