Why Biden's speech before Congress isn't called the State of the Union

President Biden on Wednesday will deliver a speech before a joint session of Congress, a speech that is typically called the State of the Union. The tradition of a president addressing Congress is set forth in the Constitution, which designates that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

But Mr. Biden's speech will not be designated a State of the Union address. In fact, the previous six presidents did not call their first message before a joint session of Congress the State of the Union, according to the Congressional Research Office. These speeches, given in the first few months of a new presidency, typically occur soon after the inaugural address. As a result, every president since Ronald Reagan has chosen to call their first speech before a joint session of Congress — which is generally more foreword-looking than the speeches that come in the following years — something other than a State of the Union Address. The Congressional Research Service notes, however, that regardless of what the speeches are titled, "scholars consider these speeches to serve the same ceremonial, rhetorical, and political function as a typical State of the Union. Therefore, they are routinely counted and analyzed with the other Annual Addresses as such."