Livewire

DHS Secretary Is ‘Designated Survivor’ Should Disaster Strike At SOTU

01.12.16 | 8:53 pm

DELETES REFERENCE TO DEATH OF CHILD IMMIGRANT NO COMMENT ON THE INCIDENT WAS MADE AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE - United States Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson speaks at a press conference Monday June 30, 2014, ... DELETES REFERENCE TO DEATH OF CHILD IMMIGRANT NO COMMENT ON THE INCIDENT WAS MADE AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE - United States Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson speaks at a press conference Monday June 30, 2014, in Edinburg, Texas. Johnson said he is sending an additional 150 Border Patrol agents to the Rio Grande Valley Sector to help with a recent spike in immigrants from Central America crossing the border through the area. (AP Photo/The Monitor, Nathan Lambrecht) MAGS OUT; TV OUT MORE LESS

The White House designated Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson as the Cabinet member who will be absent from Tuesday’s State of the Union address—just in case chaos strikes the Capitol.

The “designated survivor” is a Cabinet member chosen to be in a physically removed, secure location in situations when the President and other top administration officials are gathered together in one location. In the case of a catastrophe, the designated survivor is the next in line to succeed the President.

Send Tips

Allegra Kirkland is TPM's deputy editor for audience and strategy, based in New York. She returned to TPM after six years at Teen Vogue, where she served as the Politics Director, overseeing all aspects of the team's political coverage.

DHS Secretary Is ‘Designated Survivor’ Should Disaster Strike At SOTU

Start the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com