WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 13: Governor of Rhode Island Gina Raimondo speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit - Day 2 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc)
Every year, as the President addresses a joint session of Congress about the state of the union, one member of the Cabinet is stowed away in a secret location as the “designated survivor” in the event that something goes horribly wrong. For President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address on Tuesday, it was Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Last year, there was no designated survivor because the President gave his address to a limited audience due to COVID-19 precautions. The designated survivor is also utilized in other events where the President and Congress are gathered in one place, like presidential inaugurations.
Raimondo, who is the former governor of Rhode Island, became a member of Biden’s Cabinet in March 2021. She leads the department working to create more jobs and boost the economy. She has also worked on major segments of President Biden’s Build Back Better Act.
“It was quite uneventful actually, thankfully,” Raimondo told reporters of her time as the designated survivor on Wednesday. “I was out of Washington D.C., but doing my work like any other day.”
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