David Shulkin is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (Getty)
President Donald Trump’s “designated survivor” for his first speech before a joint session of Congress is Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. He is the one person from Trump’s cabinet not in House Chamber, in case the absolute worst happens there. He is in a secret location during the speech.
JOINT ADDRESS THREAD: David Shulkin, the new VA secretary, is tonight’s designated survivor, CNN reports.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is very low on the list of presidential succession. In fact, he’s the next-to-last secretary on the list. He’s currently in 11th position, as some of Trump’s cabinet nominees have yet to be confirmed by the Senate. In addition, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao is not eligible to become President because she was born outside the U.S.
Shulkin, the first person not to serve in the military to lead the VA, is the only member of the Trump cabinet who worked in the Obama Administration. He was previously the Veterans Affairs Undersecretary and was the only member of Trump’s cabinet unanimously approved by the Senate.
Despite Shulkin not being in the House Chamber, Trump mentioned veterans care throughout the speech. “Dying industries will come roaring back to life. Heroic veterans will get the care they so desperately need,” he said early on.
Later, he mentioned veterans’ affairs during an outline of his budget plans. “My budget will also increase funding for our veterans,” Trump said. “Our veterans have delivered for this Nation –- and now we must deliver for them.”
During Trump’s last big speech – his inauguration address – former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was the Designated survivor. At the time, Retired Gen. John Kelly hadn’t been confirmed. Kelly, as the leader of the most recently added cabinet-level department, is the last person on the list of presidential succession.