Biden could be the first president to deliver a State of the Union address during a shutdown

When President Joe Biden convenes a joint session of Congress, his Cabinet, military leaders and Supreme Court justices for his highly anticipated State of the Union address next week, it’s possible that the government could be partially shut down – and barreling toward a full shutdown.

Biden’s address, set for Thursday, March 7, falls between a pair of critical government funding deadlines. Lawmakers remain deeply divided over a plan to keep the lights on with the clock ticking and no clear resolution in sight.

A two-step plan passed in January extended funding through March 1 for parts of the federal government including military construction and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Energy. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – is funded through March 8.

If Congress fails to pass a spending measure, Biden would deliver his address as about 20% of the federal government has run out of money – and on the eve of the second spending deadline, which could have massive implications for the US economy and national security. It would mark the first time a US president has delivered a State of the Union address during a government shutdown, partial or otherwise, and would reflect how an increasingly polarized Congress has repeatedly struggled to reach consensus on what was once a governing imperative.

While it’s legally and logistically feasible for a president to deliver a State of the Union address during a partial shutdown, there are considerations about the message that doing so would send at home and around the globe.

“This is the biggest speech in our country,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “It’s followed by…