Franklin D. Roosevelt s State of the Union Address, 1944

Roosevelt Administration
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt

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* * *

Historical addresses:

Select an address:Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, 2024Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, 2023Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, 2022Joe Biden's address to joint session of Congress (April 28, 2021)Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, 2020Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, 2019Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, 2018Donald Trump's address to joint session of Congress (February 28, 2017)Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2016Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2015Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2013Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2012Barack Obama's address to joint session of Congress (September 8, 2011)Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2011Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, 2010Barack Obama's address to joint session of Congress (September 9, 2009)Barack Obama's address to joint session of Congress (February 24, 2009)George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2008George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2007George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2006George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2005George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2004George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2003George W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 2002George W. Bush's address to joint session of Congress (September 20, 2001)George W. Bush's address to joint session of Congress (February 27, 2001)Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 2000Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1999Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1998Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1997Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1996Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1995Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address, 1994Bill Clinton's address to joint session of Congress (September 22, 1993)Bill Clinton's address to joint session of Congress (February 17, 1993)George H.W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 1992George H.W. Bush's address to joint session of Congress (March 6, 1991)George H.W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 1991George H.W. Bush's address to joint session of Congress (September 11, 1990)George H.W. Bush's State of the Union Address, 1990George H.W. Bush's address to joint session of Congress (February 9, 1989)Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1988Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1987Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1986Ronald Reagan's address to joint session of Congress (November 21, 1985)Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1985Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1984Ronald Reagan's address to joint session of Congress (April 27, 1983)Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1983Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address, 1982Ronald Reagan's address to joint session of Congress (April 28, 1981)Ronald Reagan's address to joint session of Congress (February 18, 1981)Jimmy Carter's State of the Union Address, 1980Jimmy Carter's address to joint session of Congress (June 18, 1979)Jimmy Carter's State of the Union Address, 1979Jimmy Carter's address to joint session of Congress (September 18, 1978)Jimmy Carter's State of the Union Address, 1978Jimmy Carter's address to joint session of Congress (April 20, 1977)Gerald Ford's State of the Union Address, 1977Gerald Ford's State of the Union Address, 1976Gerald Ford's address to joint session of Congress (April 10, 1975)Gerald Ford's State of the Union Address, 1975Gerald Ford's address to joint session of Congress (October 8, 1974)Richard Nixon's State of the Union Address, 1974Richard Nixon's address to joint session of Congress (June 1, 1972)Richard Nixon's State of the Union Address, 1972Richard Nixon's address to joint session of Congress (September 9, 1971)Richard Nixon's State of the Union Address, 1971Richard Nixon's State of the Union Address, 1970Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1969Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1968Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1967Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1966Lyndon Johnson's address to joint session of Congress (March 15, 1965)Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1965Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union Address, 1964Lyndon Johnson's address to joint session of Congress (November 27, 1963)John F. Kennedy's State of the Union Address, 1963John F. Kennedy's State of the Union Address, 1962John F. Kennedy's address to joint session of Congress (May 25, 1961)John F. Kennedy's State of the Union Address, 1961Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1960Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1959Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1958Dwight Eisenhower's address to joint session of Congress (January 5, 1957)Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1957Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1956Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1955Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1954Dwight Eisenhower's State of the Union Address, 1953Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (June 10, 1952)Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1952Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1951Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1950Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1949Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (July 27, 1948)Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (April 19, 1948)Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (March 17, 1948)Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1948Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (November 17, 1947)Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (March 12, 1947)Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1947Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (May 25, 1946)Harry S. Truman's State of the Union Address, 1946Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (October 23, 1945)Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (May 21, 1945)Harry S. Truman's address to joint session of Congress (April 16, 1945)Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (March 1, 1945)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1945Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1944Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1943Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1942Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (December 8, 1941)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1941Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (May 16, 1940)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1940Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (September 21, 1939)Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (March 4, 1939)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1939Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1938Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1937Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1936Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (May 22, 1935)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1935Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (May 20, 1934)Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union Address, 1934Herbert Hoover's address to joint session of Congress (February 22, 1932)Herbert Hoover's State of the Union Address, 1932Herbert Hoover's State of the Union Address, 1931Herbert Hoover's State of the Union Address, 1930Herbert Hoover's State of the Union Address, 1929Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1928Calvin Coolidge's address to joint session of Congress (February 22, 1927)Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1927Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1926Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1925Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1924Warren Harding's address to joint session of Congress (February 7, 1923)Calvin Coolidge's State of the Union Address, 1923Warren Harding's address to joint session of Congress (November 21, 1922)Warren Harding's address to joint session of Congress (August 18, 1922)Warren Harding's State of the Union Address, 1922Warren Harding's State of the Union Address, 1921Submit

On Jan. 11, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his 11th State of the Union.

The State of the Union tradition stems from the U.S. Constitution's requirement that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”[1] The first State of the Union address was given by  George Washington to both houses of Congress in 1790.

The annual address was not officially known as the State of the Union until  1947, when Harry S. Truman adopted the title that had been used informally during the later years of Roosevelt’s presidency.[2] Before 1947, the address was officially referred to as the Annual Message.[3]

## Contents

* 1 State of the Union address
* 1.1 Transcript
* 2 Response to the State of the Union address
* 3 Designated survivor
* 4 Background
* 5 Footnotes

## State of the Union address[edit]

### Transcript[edit]

The following text is a transcript of Roosevelt's address, as prepared for delivery:

“  |

To the Congress:

This Nation in the past two years has become an active partner in the world's greatest war against human slavery.

We have joined with like-minded people in order to defend ourselves in a world that has been gravely threatened with gangster rule.

But I do not think that any of us Americans can be content with mere survival. Sacrifices that we and our allies are making impose upon us all a sacred obligation to see to it that out of this war we and our children will gain something better than mere survival.

We are united in determination that this war shall not be followed by another interim which leads to new disaster- that we shall not repeat the tragic errors of ostrich isolationism—that we shall not repeat the excesses of the wild twenties when this Nation went for a joy ride on a roller coaster which ended in a tragic crash.

When Mr. Hull went to Moscow in October, and when I went to Cairo and Teheran in November, we knew that we were in agreement with our allies in our common determination to fight and win this war. But there were many vital questions concerning the future peace, and they were discussed in an atmosphere of complete candor and harmony.

In the last war such discussions, such meetings, did not even begin until the shooting had stopped and the delegates began to assemble at the peace table. There had been no previous opportunities for man-to-man discussions which lead to meetings of minds. The result was a peace which was not a peace. That was a mistake which we are not repeating in this war.

And right here I want to address a word or two to some suspicious souls who are fearful that Mr. Hull or I have made "commitments" for the future which might pledge this Nation to secret treaties, or to enacting the role of Santa Claus.

To such suspicious souls—using a polite terminology—I wish to say that Mr. Churchill, and Marshal Stalin, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek are all thoroughly conversant with the provisions of our Constitution. And so is Mr. Hull. And so am I.

Of course we made some commitments. We most certainly committed ourselves to very large and very specific military plans which require the use of all Allied forces to bring about the defeat of our enemies at the earliest possible time.

But there were no secret treaties or political or financial commitments.

The one supreme objective for the future, which we discussed for each Nation individually, and for all the United Nations, can be summed up in one word: Security.

And that means not only physical security which provides safety from attacks by aggressors. It means also economic security, social security, moral security—in a family of Nations.

In the plain down-to-earth talks that I had with the Generalissimo and Marshal Stalin and Prime Minister Churchill, it was abundantly clear that they are all most deeply interested in the resumption of peaceful progress by their own peoples—progress toward a better life. All our allies want freedom to develop their lands and resources, to build up industry, to increase education and individual opportunity, and to raise standards of living.

All our allies have learned by bitter experience that real development will not be possible if they are to be diverted from their purpose by repeated wars—or even threats of war.

China and Russia are truly united with Britain and America in recognition of this essential fact:

The best interests of each Nation, large and small, demand that all freedom-loving Nations shall join together in a just and durable system of peace. In the present world situation, evidenced by the actions of Germany, Italy, and Japan, unquestioned military control over disturbers of the peace is as necessary among Nations as it is among citizens in a community. And an equally basic essential to peace is a decent standard of living for all individual men and women and children in all Nations. Freedom from fear is eternally linked with freedom from want.

There are people who burrow through our Nation like unseeing moles, and attempt to spread the suspicion that if other Nations are encouraged to raise their standards of living, our own American standard of living must of necessity be depressed.

The fact is the very contrary. It has been shown time and again that if the standard of living of any country goes up, so does its purchasing power- and that such a rise encourages a better standard of living in neighboring countries with whom it trades. That is just plain common sense—and it is the kind of plain common sense that provided the basis for our discussions at Moscow, Cairo, and Teheran.

Returning from my journeyings, I must confess to a sense of "let-down" when I found many evidences of faulty perspective here in Washington. The faulty perspective consists in overemphasizing lesser problems and thereby underemphasizing the first and greatest problem.

The overwhelming majority of our people have met the demands of this war with magnificent courage and understanding. They have accepted inconveniences; they have accepted hardships; they have accepted tragic sacrifices. And they are ready and eager to make whatever further contributions are needed to win the war as quickly as possible- if only they are given the chance to know what is required of them.

However, while the majority goes on about its great work without complaint, a noisy minority maintains an uproar of demands for special favors for special groups. There are pests who swarm through the lobbies of the Congress and the cocktail bars of Washington, representing these special groups as opposed to the basic interests of the Nation as a whole. They have come to look upon the war primarily as a chance to make profits for themselves at the expense of their neighbors- profits in money or in terms of political or social preferment.

Such selfish agitation can be highly dangerous in wartime. It creates confusion. It damages morale. It hampers our national effort. It muddies the waters and therefore prolongs the war.

If we analyze American history impartially, we cannot escape the fact that in our past we have not always forgotten individual and selfish and partisan interests in time of war—we have not always been united in purpose and direction. We cannot overlook the serious dissensions and the lack of unity in our war of the Revolution, in our War of 1812, or in our War Between the States, when the survival of the Union itself was at stake.

In the first World War we came closer to national unity than in any previous war. But that war lasted only a year and a half, and increasing signs of disunity began to appear during the final months of the conflict.

In this war, we have been compelled to learn how interdependent upon each other are all groups and sections of the population of America.

Increased food costs, for example, will bring new demands for wage increases from all war workers, which will in turn raise all prices of all things including those things which the farmers themselves have to buy. Increased wages or prices will each in turn produce the same results. They all have a particularly disastrous result on all fixed income groups.

And I hope you will remember that all of us in this Government represent the fixed income group just as much as we represent business owners, workers, and farmers. This group of fixed income people includes: teachers, clergy, policemen, firemen, widows and minors on fixed incomes, wives and dependents of our soldiers and sailors, and old-age pensioners. They and their families add up to one-quarter of our one hundred and thirty million people. They have few or no high pressure representatives at the Capitol. In a period of gross inflation they would be the worst sufferers.

If ever there was a time to subordinate individual or group selfishness to the national good, that time is now. Disunity at home—bickerings, self-seeking partisanship, stoppages of work, inflation, business as usual, politics as usual, luxury as usual these are the influences which can undermine the morale of the brave men ready to die at the front for us here.

Those who are doing most of the complaining are not deliberately striving to sabotage the national war effort. They are laboring under the delusion that the time is past when we must make prodigious sacrifices- that the war is already won and we can begin to slacken off. But the dangerous folly of that point of view can be measured by the distance that separates our troops from their ultimate objectives in Berlin and Tokyo—and by the sum of all the perils that lie along the way.

Overconfidence and complacency are among our deadliest enemies. Last spring—after notable victories at Stalingrad and in Tunisia and against the U-boats on the high seas—overconfidence became so pronounced that war production fell off. In two months, June and July, 1943, more than a thousand airplanes that could have been made and should have been made were not made. Those who failed to make them were not on strike. They were merely saying, "The war's in the bag- so let's relax."

That attitude on the part of anyone—Government or management or labor—can lengthen this war. It can kill American boys.

Let us remember the lessons of 1918. In the summer of that year the tide turned in favor of the allies. But this Government did not relax. In fact, our national effort was stepped up. In August, 1918, the draft age limits were broadened from 21-31 to 18-45. The President called for "force to the utmost," and his call was heeded. And in November, only three months later, Germany surrendered.

That is the way to fight and win a war—all out—and not with half-an-eye on the battlefronts abroad and the other eye-and-a-half on personal, selfish, or political interests here at home.

Therefore, in order to concentrate all our energies and resources on winning the war, and to maintain a fair and stable economy at home, I recommend that the Congress adopt:

(1) A realistic tax law—which will tax all unreasonable profits, both individual and corporate, and reduce the ultimate cost of the war to our sons and daughters. The tax bill now under consideration by the Congress does not begin to meet this test.

(2) A continuation of the law for the renegotiation of war contracts—which will prevent exorbitant profits and assure fair prices to the Government. For two long years I have pleaded with the Congress to take undue profits out of war.

(3) A cost of food law—which will enable the Government (a) to place a reasonable floor under the prices the farmer may expect for his production; and (b) to place a ceiling on the prices a consumer will have to pay for the food he buys. This should apply to necessities only; and will require public funds to carry out. It will cost in appropriations about one percent of the present annual cost of the war.

(4) Early reenactment of the stabilization statute of October, 1942. This expires June 30, 1944, and if it is not extended well in advance, the country might just as well expect price chaos by summer.

We cannot have stabilization by wishful thinking. We must take positive action to maintain the integrity of the American dollar.

(5) A national service law- which, for the duration of the war, will prevent strikes, and, with certain appropriate exceptions, will make available for war production or for any other essential services every able-bodied adult in this Nation.

These five measures together form a just and equitable whole. I would not recommend a national service law unless the other laws were passed to keep down the cost of living, to share equitably the burdens of taxation, to hold the stabilization line, and to prevent undue profits.

The Federal Government already has the basic power to draft capital and property of all kinds for war purposes on a basis of just compensation.

As you know, I have for three years hesitated to recommend a national service act. Today, however, I am convinced of its necessity. Although I believe that we and our allies can win the war without such a measure, I am certain that nothing less than total mobilization of all our resources of manpower and capital will guarantee an earlier victory, and reduce the toll of suffering and sorrow and blood.

I have received a joint recommendation for this law from the heads of the War Department, the Navy Department, and the Maritime Commission. These are the men who bear responsibility for the procurement of the necessary arms and equipment, and for the successful prosecution of the war in the field. They say:

"When the very life of the Nation is in peril the responsibility for service is common to all men and women. In such a time there can be no discrimination between the men and women who are assigned by the Government to its defense at the battlefront and the men and women assigned to producing the vital materials essential to successful military operations. A prompt enactment of a National Service Law would be merely an expression of the universality of this responsibility."

I believe the country will agree that those statements are the solemn truth.

National service is the most democratic way to wage a war. Like selective service for the armed forces, it rests on the obligation of each citizen to serve his Nation to his utmost where he is best qualified.

It does not mean reduction in wages. It does not mean loss of retirement and seniority rights and benefits. It does not mean that any substantial numbers of war workers will be disturbed in their present jobs. Let these facts be wholly clear.

Experience in other democratic Nations at war—Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand- has shown that the very existence of national service makes unnecessary the widespread use of compulsory power. National service has proven to be a unifying moral force based on an equal and comprehensive legal obligation of all people in a Nation at war.

There are millions of American men and women who are not in this war at all. It is not because they do not want to be in it. But they want to know where they can best do their share. National service provides that direction. It will be a means by which every man and woman can find that inner satisfaction which comes from making the fullest possible contribution to victory.

I know that all civilian war workers will be glad to be able to say many years hence to their grandchildren: "Yes, I, too, was in service in the great war. I was on duty in an airplane factory, and I helped make hundreds of fighting planes. The Government told me that in doing that I was performing my most useful work in the service of my country."

It is argued that we have passed the stage in the war where national service is necessary. But our soldiers and sailors know that this is not true. We are going forward on a long, rough road- and, in all journeys, the last miles are the hardest. And it is for that final effort—for the total defeat of our enemies-that we must mobilize our total resources. The national war program calls for the employment of more people in 1944 than in 1943.

It is my conviction that the American people will welcome this win-the-war measure which is based on the eternally just principle of "fair for one, fair for all."

It will give our people at home the assurance that they are standing four-square behind our soldiers and sailors. And it will give our enemies demoralizing assurance that we mean business -that we, 130,000,000 Americans, are on the march to Rome, Berlin, and Tokyo.

I hope that the Congress will recognize that, although this is a political year, national service is an issue which transcends politics. Great power must be used for great purposes.

As to the machinery for this measure, the Congress itself should determine its nature—but it should be wholly nonpartisan in its make-up.

Our armed forces are valiantly fulfilling their responsibilities to our country and our people. Now the Congress faces the responsibility for taking those measures which are essential to national security in this the most decisive phase of the Nation's greatest war.

Several alleged reasons have prevented the enactment of legislation which would preserve for our soldiers and sailors and marines the fundamental prerogative of citizenship—the right to vote. No amount of legalistic argument can becloud this issue in the eyes of these ten million American citizens. Surely the signers of the Constitution did not intend a document which, even in wartime, would be construed to take away the franchise of any of those who are fighting to preserve the Constitution itself.

Our soldiers and sailors and marines know that the overwhelming majority of them will be deprived of the opportunity to vote, if the voting machinery is left exclusively to the States under existing State laws—and that there is no likelihood of these laws being changed in time to enable them to vote at the next election. The Army and Navy have reported that it will be impossible effectively to administer forty-eight different soldier voting laws. It is the duty of the Congress to remove this unjustifiable discrimination against the men and women in our armed forces- and to do it as quickly as possible.

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth- is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our Nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. "Necessitous men are not free men." People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

One of the great American industrialists of our day—a man who has rendered yeoman service to his country in this crisis-recently emphasized the grave dangers of "rightist reaction" in this Nation. All clear-thinking businessmen share his concern. Indeed, if such reaction should develop—if history were to repeat itself and we were to return to the so-called "normalcy" of the 1920's—then it is certain that even though we shall have conquered our enemies on the battlefields abroad, we shall have yielded to the spirit of Fascism here at home.

I ask the Congress to explore the means for implementing this economic bill of rights- for it is definitely the responsibility of the Congress so to do. Many of these problems are already before committees of the Congress in the form of proposed legislation. I shall from time to time communicate with the Congress with respect to these and further proposals. In the event that no adequate program of progress is evolved, I am certain that the Nation will be conscious of the fact.

Our fighting men abroad- and their families at home- expect such a program and have the right to insist upon it. It is to their demands that this Government should pay heed rather than to the whining demands of selfish pressure groups who seek to feather their nests while young Americans are dying.

The foreign policy that we have been following—the policy that guided us at Moscow, Cairo, and Teheran—is based on the common sense principle which was best expressed by Benjamin Franklin on July 4, 1776: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

I have often said that there are no two fronts for America in this war. There is only one front. There is one line of unity which extends from the hearts of the people at home to the men of our attacking forces in our farthest outposts. When we speak of our total effort, we speak of the factory and the field, and the mine as well as of the battleground -- we speak of the soldier and the civilian, the citizen and his Government.

Each and every one of us has a solemn obligation under God to serve this Nation in its most critical hour—to keep this Nation great -- to make this Nation greater in a better world.[4]

| ”

|
|

—President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D), Jan. 11, 1944 [5]

## Response to the State of the Union address[edit]

The first televised response to the state of the union was given in  1966. While opposition responses to the president's State of the Union address existed before then, they "came in the relatively ignored environment of the Senate or House Chamber or at local political events," and records documenting these events are largely unavailable.[6]

## Designated survivor[edit]

Each year, a member of the president's Cabinet is chosen to stay in an undisclosed location outside of Washington, D.C. to assume the presidency in case of an attack on Congress, the president, and other high-ranking officials.

While designated survivors have been chosen since at least the 1960s, the federal government did not begin revealing the identity of the designated survivor to the public until  1984.[7]

## Background[edit]

The following table provides a list of annual and other presidential addresses delivered to joint sessions of Congress between 1790 and 2024. It does not include inaugurations. The information was compiled from the U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Historian.[8]

* President Woodrow Wilson (D), whose administration overlapped with World War I, delivered the most addresses: 23.
* President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) followed with 19 addresses, which included a joint speech with the ambassador of France in 1934 and an address read before Congress on his behalf in 1945. World War II took place during his administration.
* President Harry S. Truman had the third-most addresses at 16. His administration covered the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.
* Among presidents who served between 1981 and 2024, Presidents Ronald Reagan (R) and Barack Obama (D) delivered the most addresses with 11 and 10, respectively.

Presidential addresses to joint sessions of Congress

Date | Session of Congress | Occasion or topic | President and other speaking dignitaries
March 7, 2024 | 118th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
February 7, 2023 | 118th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
March 1, 2022 | 117th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
April 28, 2021 | 117th Congress | Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Feb. 4, 2020 | 116th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump
Feb. 5, 2019 | 116th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump
Jan. 30, 2018 | 115th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump
Feb. 28, 2017 | 115th Congress |  Address | President Donald J. Trump
Jan. 12, 2016 | 114th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 20, 2015 | 114th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 28, 2014 | 113th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Feb. 12, 2013 | 113th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 24, 2012 | 112th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Sept. 8, 2011 | 112th Congress |  Address on American Jobs Act | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 25, 2011 | 112th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 27, 2010 | 111th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama
Sept. 8, 2009 | 111th Congress |  Address on Health Care Reform | President Barack H. Obama
Feb. 24, 2009 | 111th Congress |  Address | President Barack H. Obama
Jan. 28, 2008 | 110th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush
Jan. 23, 2007 | 110th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush
Jan. 31, 2006 | 109th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush
Feb. 2, 2005 | 109th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush
Jan. 20, 2004 | 108th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush.
Jan. 28, 2003 | 108th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush.
Jan. 29, 2002 | 107th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush.
Sept. 20, 2001 | 107th Congress |  Address on the War on Terrorism | President George W. Bush.
Feb. 27, 2001 | 107th Congress |  Budget Message | President George W. Bush.
Jan. 27, 2000 | 106th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 19, 1999 | 106th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 27, 1998 | 105th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Feb. 4, 1997 | 105th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 23, 1996 | 104th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 24, 1995 | 104th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 25, 1994 | 103rd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton.
Sept. 22, 1993 | 103rd Congress |  Address on Health Care Reform | President William J. Clinton.
Feb. 17, 1993 | 103rd Congress |  Economic Address | President William J. Clinton.
Jan. 28, 1992 | 102nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George Bush.
Mar. 6, 1991 | 102nd Congress |  Conclusion of Persian Gulf War | President George Bush.
Jan. 29, 1991 | 102nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George Bush.
Sept. 11, 1990 | 101st Congress |  Invasion of Kuwait by Iraq | President George Bush.
Jan. 31, 1990 | 101st Congress |  State of the Union Address | President George Bush.
Feb. 9, 1989 | 101st Congress |  Address on Building a Better America | President George Bush.
Jan. 25, 1988 | 100th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 27, 1987 | 100th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Feb. 4, 1986 | 99th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Nov. 21, 1985 | 99th Congress |  Address on Geneva Summit | President Ronald Reagan.
Feb. 6, 1985 | 99th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 25, 1984 | 98th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Apr. 27, 1983 | 98th Congress | Address on Central America | President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 25, 1983 | 98th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 26, 1982 | 97th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan.
Apr. 28, 1981 | 97th Congress |  Address on Economic Recovery--inflation | President Ronald Reagan.
Feb. 18, 1981 | 97th Congress |  Address on Economic Recovery | President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 23, 1980 | 96th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter.
June 18, 1979 | 96th Congress |  Address on Salt II agreements | President Jimmy Carter.
Jan. 23, 1979 | 96th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter.
Sept. 18, 1978 | 95th Congress |  Address on Middle East Peace agreements | President Jimmy Carter; Joint session attended by Anwar El Sadat, President of Egypt, and by Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel.
Jan. 19, 1978 | 95th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter.
Apr. 20, 1977 | 95th Congress |  Address on Energy | President Jimmy Carter.
Jan. 12, 1977 | 95th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford.
Jan. 19, 1976 | 94th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford.
Apr. 10, 1975 | 94th Congress |  Address on State of the World | President Gerald R. Ford.
Jan. 15, 1975 | 94th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford.
Oct. 8, 1974 | 93rd Congress |  Address on the Economy | President Gerald R. Ford.
Aug. 12, 1974 | 93rd Congress |  Assumption of office | President Gerald R. Ford.
Jan. 30 1974 | 93rd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon.
June 1, 1972 | 92nd Congress |  Address on Europe trip | President Richard M. Nixon.
Jan. 20, 1972 | 92nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon.
Sept. 9, 1971 | 92nd Congress |  Address on Economic policy | President Richard M. Nixon.
Jan. 22, 1971 | 92nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon.
Jan. 22, 1970 | 91st Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon.
Jan. 14, 1969 | 91st Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 17, 1968 | 90th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 10, 1967 | 90th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 12, 1966 | 89th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Mar. 15, 1965 | 89th Congress |  Voting rights | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 4, 1965 | 89th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 8, 1964 | 88th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Nov. 27, 1963 | 88th Congress |  Assumption of office | President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 14, 1963 | 88th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy.
Jan. 11, 1962 | 87th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy.
May 25, 1961 | 87th Congress |  Urgent national needs: foreign aid, defense, civil defense, and outer space | President John F. Kennedy.
Jan. 30, 1961 | 87th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy.
Jan. 7, 1960 | 86th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 9, 1959 | 86th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 9, 1958 | 85th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 10, 1957 | 85th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 5, 1957 | 85th Congress |  Address on the Middle East | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 6, 1955 | 84th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 7, 1954 | 83rd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Feb. 2, 1953 | 83rd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
June 10, 1952 | 82nd Congress |  Address on Steel Strike | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 9, 1952 | 82nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 8, 1951 | 82nd Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 4, 1950 | 81st Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 5, 1949 | 81st Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
July 27, 1948 | 80th Congress |  Address on inflation, housing, and civil rights | President Harry S. Truman.
Apr. 19, 1948 | 80th Congress |  Address on 50th anniversary, liberation of Cuba | President Harry S. Truman; Guillermo Belt, Ambassador of Cuba.
Mar. 17, 1948 | 80th Congress |  National security and conditions in Europe | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 7, 1948 | 80th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
Nov. 17, 1947 | 80th Congress |  Address on Aid to Europe | President Harry S. Truman.
Mar. 12, 1947 | 80th Congress |  Address on Greek-Turkish aid policy | President Harry S. Truman.
Jan. 6, 1947 | 80th Congress |  State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman.
May 25, 1946 | 79th Congress |  Address on Railroad Strike | President Harry S. Truman.
Oct. 23, 1945 | 79th Congress |  Address on Universal Military Training | President Harry S. Truman.
May 21, 1945 | 79th Congress |  Address on Bestowal of Congressional Medal of Honor to Tech. Sgt. Jake William Lindsey | General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; President Harry S. Truman.
Apr. 16, 1945 | 79th Congress |  Address on Assumption of Office and War | President Harry S. Truman.
Mar. 1, 1945 | 79th Congress |  Address on Yalta Conference | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 6, 1945 | 79th Congress |  Annual Message | President Roosevelt was not present. His message was read before the Joint Session of Congress.
Jan. 11, 1944 | 78th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 7, 1943 | 78th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 6, 1942 | 77th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Dec. 8, 1941 | 77th Congress |  Address on the "Day of Infamy" | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 6, 1941 | 77th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
May 16, 1940 | 76th Congress |  Address on National Defense | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 3, 1940 | 76th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Sept. 21, 1939 | 76th Congress |  Address on Neutrality | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Mar. 4, 1939 | 76th Congress |  Address on Sesquicentennial of the 1st Congress | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 4, 1939 | 76th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 3, 1938 | 75th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 6, 1937 | 75th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 3, 1936 | 74th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
May 22, 1935 | 74th Congress |  Address on Budget Bill Veto | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 4, 1935 | 74th Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
May 20, 1934 | 73rd Congress |  Address on 100th anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Lafayette | Andre de Laboulaye, Ambassador of France; President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; ceremony attended by Count de Chambrun, great-grandson of Lafayette.
Jan. 3, 1934 | 73rd Congress |  Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Feb. 22, 1932 | 72nd Congress |  Address on bicentennial of George Washington's birth | President Herbert Hoover.
Dec. 6, 1932 | 72nd Congress |  Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover.
Dec. 8, 1931 | 72nd Congress |  Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover.
Dec. 2, 1930 | 71st Congress |  Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover.
Dec. 3, 1929 | 71st Congress |  Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover.
Dec. 4, 1928 | 70th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Feb. 22, 1927 | 70th Congress |  Address on upcoming George Washington birthday bicentennial | President Calvin Coolidge.
Dec. 6, 1927 | 70th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Dec. 6, 1926 | 69th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Dec. 8, 1925 | 69th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Dec. 6, 1924 | 68th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Dec. 3, 1923 | 68th Congress |  Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge.
Feb. 7, 1923 | 67th Congress |  Address on British debt due to the United States | President Warren G. Harding.
Dec. 8, 1922 | 67th Congress |  Annual Message | President Warren G. Harding.
Nov. 21, 1922 | 67th Congress |  Address on promotion of the American Merchant Marine | President Warren G. Harding.
Aug. 18, 1922 | 67th Congress |  Address on coal and railroad strikes | President Warren G. Harding.
Feb. 28, 1922 | 67th Congress |  Address on maintenance of the Merchant Marine | President Warren G. Harding.
Dec. 6, 1921 | 67th Congress |  Annual Message | President Warren G. Harding.
Apr. 12, 1921 | 67th Congress | Federal problem message | President Warren G. Harding.
Aug. 8, 1919 | 66th Congress | Cost of living message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 2, 1918 | 65th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Nov. 11, 1918 | 65th Congress | Terms of armistice signed by Germany | President Woodrow Wilson.
May 27, 1918 | 65th Congress | War finance message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Feb. 11, 1918 | 65th Congress | Peace message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Jan. 8, 1918 | 65th Congress | Program for world's peace | President Woodrow Wilson.
Jan. 4, 1918 | 65th Congress | Federal operation of transportation systems | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 4, 1917 | 65th Congress | Annual Message/War with Austria-Hungary | President Woodrow Wilson.
Apr. 2, 1917 | 65th Congress | War with Germany | President Woodrow Wilson.
Feb. 26, 1917 | 64th Congress | Arming of merchant ships | President Woodrow Wilson.
Feb. 3, 1917 | 64th Congress | Severing diplomatic relations with Germany | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 5, 1916 | 64th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Aug. 29, 1916 | 64th Congress | Railroad message (labor-management dispute) | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 7, 1915 | 64th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 8, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Sept. 4, 1914 | 63rd Congress | War tax message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Apr. 20, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Mexico message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Mar. 5, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Panama Canal tolls | President Woodrow Wilson.
Jan. 20, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Trusts message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Dec. 2, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Aug. 27, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Mexican affairs message | President Woodrow Wilson.
June 23, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Currency and bank reform message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Apr. 8, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Tariff message | President Woodrow Wilson.
Nov. 22, 1800 | 6th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams.
Dec. 3, 1799 | 6th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams.
Dec. 8, 1798 | 5th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams.
Nov. 23, 1797 | 5th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams.
May 16, 1797 | 5th Congress | Relations with France | President John Adams.
Dec. 7, 1796 | 4th Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Dec. 8, 1795 | 4th Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Nov. 19, 1794 | 3rd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Dec. 3, 1793 | 3rd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Nov. 6, 1792 | 2nd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Oct. 25, 1791 | 2nd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Dec. 8, 1790 | 1st Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.
Jan. 8, 1790 | 1st Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington.

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," accessed February 3, 2020
2. ↑ CNN, "Harry Truman delivered the first ever State of the Union. (Really.)," Feb. 5, 2019
3. ↑ History, Art & Archives of the United States House of Representatives, "State of the Union Address," accessed Feb. 28, 2022
4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
5. ↑ The American Presidency Project, “State of the Union Message to Congress,” Jan. 11, 1944
6. ↑ United States Senate, "Opposition Response to the State of the Union Address," accessed Feb. 25, 2022
7. ↑ United States Senate, "Cabinet Members Who Did Not Attend the State of the Union Address," accessed Feb. 23, 2022.
8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `History`

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