Typically a junior Secretary does not attend, simply because of the concept of a Designated Survivor, should some disaster befall Washington while the vast majority of administration officials and members of Congress are gathered in one place.
In 2014, it was Energy Secretary Stephen Chu.
In 2015, it was Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
In 2016, it was Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, but President Pro Tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch also watched the address as a legislative designate, already 3rd-in-line for succession. This duo was again selected for President Trump's inauguration in 2017.
Ken Salazar, the Secretary of Interior
Tom Vislack secretary of agriculture :)
Dirk Kempthorne, the Secretary of the Interior
in Texas which cabinet member collection is responsible for texes
Secretary of State
Secretary of Transportation Succession goes through the Cabinet in the order that the positions were created.
Yes, she is; she heads the state department.
Most of them hold the title of Secretary of whatever department they head, Secretary of State being an example. The Attorney General heads the justice department. In years past, the Postmaster General was a cabinet member. The usual form of address is "Mr. (or Madame) Secretary", if that's what you were asking.
Cabinet Lekgotla provides the basis for the President's State of the Nation address.
The presidential line of succession goes like this: 1) vice-president 2) Speaker of the Hosue 3) President Pro Tempore of the Senate 4) Members of the Cabinet in the order in which the departments were created. This means that if the president dies, resigns or is removed from office, the vice-president becomes president. If the president and vice-president die, resign or are removed from office, then the Speaker of the House becomes president, etc. etc. Since all 18 people in the presidential line of succession could potentially be at the president's state of the union address, one Cabinet member does not attend in case there would be some sort of disastrous bombing at the State of the Union Address that killed the president, vice-president, speaker of the house, president pro tempore of the senate and the Cabinet members. The surviving Cabinet member who is not at the state of the union address becomes president so that if nothing else, the American people know who their leader is. In 2008, the Cabinet member that did not attend was Dirk Kempthorne.
Martin Van Buren, Secretary of State, was probably the most distinguished member of Jackson's first cabinet.
Sec. of State