2016 State of the Union Address 2016 State of the Union Address The 2016 State of the Union Address was given by the 44th United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was addressed to the 114th United States Congress. It was the first State of the Union address with Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It was the last State of the Union Address of Obama's presidency; no U.S. president since Gerald Ford has given a final State of the Union address at the end of his term. Obama's
State of the Union State of the Union The State of the Union Address is an annual message presented by the President of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress, except in the first year of a new president's term. The message includes a budget message and an economic report of the nation, and also allows the President to propose a legislative agenda (for which the cooperation of Congress is needed) and national priorities. The address fulfills rules in of the U.S. Constitution, requiring the President to periodically "give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union,