Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is the designated survivor for Biden’s State of the Union

Cardona will stay away from the US Capitol, fulfilling the annual task of remaining outside the House chamber during the president speech in case disaster strikes.

Cardona, a former educator, became the secretary of education in March 2021.

This year’s State of the Union comes months before the 2024 general election as Biden’s Cabinet has been actively taking his message outside Washington, serving as key emissaries for president’s biggest legislative accomplishments. 

Cardona is fifteenth in the presidential line of succession.

The presidential line of succession is outlined in the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, which was updated during the Truman administration in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.

The current line of succession is:

• Vice President Kamala Harris• Speaker of the House Mike Johnson• President Pro Tempore of the Senate Patty Murray• Secretary of State Antony Blinken• Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen• Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin• Attorney General Merrick Garland• Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland• Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack• Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo• Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su• Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge• Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg• Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was born in Cuba and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was born in Canada. Both were naturalized as US citizens, but they are ineligible to serve as president and therefore cannot be the designated survivor.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.