WASHINGTON — As President Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives has taken precautionary measures to ensure the continuity of Congress in the unlikely event of a catastrophe. This involves appointing designated survivors who will be kept at a secure location during the address.
Among those chosen is Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat from California known for representing the scenic wine country region. Thompson will be observing the address from a distance as part of this contingency plan, he confirmed on Monday.
“I’ve been selected as a designated survivor for tomorrow’s State of the Union, so I won’t be there in person, but I’ll be watching,” Thompson shared on the social media platform X. He also voiced concerns about issues such as the militarization of ICE, the terrorization of communities, and the deaths of American citizens, emphasizing the need for accountability.
While the role of a designated survivor in Congress lacks the high-profile nature of the White House’s counterpart, whose identity is disclosed only after the president begins speaking, it remains a critical safeguard. Unlike the executive line of succession, Thompson’s position does not place him in line to assume the presidency in case of an emergency.
Unlike the much more well-known White House designated survivor, whose identity is revealed after the president’s speech begins, Thompson isn’t in the executive line of succession and would not be tipped to become commander in chief in the event of a catastrophe.
The practice of designated congresional survivors — two senators and two House members, one from each party — in the event of an attempt to decapitate the US government during a major event has taken place since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
However, the tradition is so little known that multiple Capitol Hill staffers, including experienced ones, weren’t even aware of its existence when contacted by The Post Tuesday.
Thompson’s guest, immigrant and veteran Bernie Narvaez, is still expected to attend the speech — while dozens of Democrats in both chambers of Congress besides Thompson will not.
It was not immediately clear which other lawmakers had been tapped as designated survivors, though preference is given to experienced members who are familiar with parliamentary rules and procedures should Congress need to be reconstituted after a catastrophe.
Thompson, 75, was first elected to the House in 1998 after eight years in the California State Senate.
Since the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the seat of the legislative branch has been protected by a steel-grated 12-foot-tall fence during State of the Union speeches and identical, but differently named, addresses to the joint session of Congress.
The designated survivor tradition began at the height of the Cold War in the mid-1950s.
Last year, VA Secretary Doug Collins was told to keep away from the Capitol for Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Since 1984, the Secretary of the Interior has been deemed the designated survivor seven times, according to The American Presidency Project, followed by the secretaries of Agriculture (six) and Commerce and Veterans Affairs (five each).
