State of the Union: Staying Behind....

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan (AP Photo)

Every year for the State of the Union a cabinet member stays behind for reasons of national security. The thought process is at least one member of the current government would be in charge should something drastic and fatal befall everyone else in the House chamber.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is in London for meetings is **NOT** the designee this year, despite the fact that she's not in town,  instead attending an international meeting on banning radicalization in Yemen and a conference on security in Afghanistan. Both were on the schedule before the date of the State of the Union was secured.

We're told the cabinet member who stays behind actually goes to an "undisclosed location" for the speech.

So, who is staying behind tonight?

Shaun Donovan - The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

For more about the designated cabinet member, read a blog post at the Speakers Lobby (our sister blog) by Fox News Senior House producer Chad Pergram.