Why does the President give a State of the Union address to Congress every year?
The address can trace its roots back to the Constitution. Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution says that the President â??shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.â?
Isnâ??t that a pretty vague order?
â??From time to timeâ? leaves the question of frequency open to interpretation, but George Washington helped cement the State of the Union as an annual event after he gave the first State of the Union address at Federal Hall in New York City in January 1790.
Since there wasnâ??t much of a blueprint for Washington, he praised the 1st Congressâ?? work and outlined a brief legislative plan for the upcoming year. In this way, Washingtonâ??s address bore some resemblance to the one President Obama will give on Wednesday night. On the other hand, Washingtonâ??s goals were a bit different from national health care; he wanted to work on the army, build post roads, and develop uniform systems of currency, weights, and measures.
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