# State of the Union Address? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027 "2001-02-27T05:49:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/1 "2001-02-27T05:49:03Z")
What happened to the State of the Union? I don’t remember Clinton or Bush giving one this year. Couple of follow-ups: Is it usually skipped in election years when the president switches? Is it a Constitutional requirement? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/2 "2001-02-27T06:24:26Z")
A coworker asked me this today. Neither George Bush pere or Bill Clinton gave a State of the Union address in the first year of their presidency, but both gave speeches to joint sessions of Congress in that year. The Constitution only says that the president shoudl report to Congress from “time to time”. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/3 "2001-02-27T07:26:26Z")
[http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010227/ts/bush\_speech\_dc\_4.html](http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010227/ts/bush_speech_dc_4.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Tuesday makes his first address to a joint session of Congress and has promised a ‘‘to the point’’ speech laying out his plans for tax cuts and spending priorities. > > The speech will be similar in style and purpose to a State of the Union address, but it will not bear that title in keeping with Bush’s desire not to give a formal State of the Union speech until he has been in office for a year. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/4 "2001-02-27T07:35:51Z")
FWIW: The relavent section is Article II, Section 2: > [@](#): > > He [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; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/5 "2001-02-27T19:12:04Z")
For what it’s worth, on the West Wing, President Bartlet just gave his first State of the Union address even though it is the beginning of his second year in office. I realize that the West Wing is a fictional show, but I know that Aaron Sorkin really does a lot of research for the scripts. The consensus among the people on the mailing list I subscribe to was that the inaugural address counted as the first State of the Union, but I think that addressing a joint session of Congress could easily count as well. And as others have pointed out, the Constitution only says “from time to time,” it doesn’t specifically lay out exactly when the address has to happen. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-the-union-address/56027/6 "2001-02-28T06:57:02Z")
It should also be noted that it doesn’t even have to be an address. The president could just send them an email with a link to his State of the Union page. One of the early presidents (Jefferson, I think) was a poor public speaker and just sent a written report instead of giving a speech. This practice was followed by a number of his successors. About a century later, someone (I forget who) went back to giving an address.