Most presidents deliver the State of the Union during the month of January or February. Instead, President Biden (D) will deliver the State of the Union in March.
- Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 mandates an annual message from the President to Congress.
- The first Annual Message was delivered in 1790 by the President George Washington.
- The annual speech was formally known as the Annual Message from 1790 to 1946, then informally called the State of the Union.
- The Annual Message is given to the joint session of Congress.
- Presidents deliver State of the Union addresses in the House of Representatives.
- Congress shifted the opening of its sessions to January in 1934.
- Since 1977, new presidents have not called their first speech before a joint session of Congress a “State of the Union.”
- This will be President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union.
