Gina Raimondo Was 'Designated Survivor' For State Of The Union

PROVIDENCE, RI — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the designated survivor for President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address Tuesday.

The role means Rhode Island's former governor watched the address from a secure location in case disaster struck at the Capitol.

Under regular circumstances, Raimondo would be 10th in the presidential succession line. But if a catastrophe happened at the State of the Union, Raimondo would have been responsible for taking control of the U.S. government's executive branch.

Raimondo was Rhode Island's governor from 2015 to 2021, before accepting a role in Biden's cabinet. As commerce secretary, her role as been addressing the global semiconductor shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic and working to expand economic competition with China.

Administration officials also said Raimondo played a role in helping Biden pass his infrastructure bill and is working on the stalled Build Back Better Agenda.