Education Secretary Miguel Cardona revealed as the designated survivor: Cabinet member 15th in line to Biden misses out on his high stakes speech

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is serving as this year's designated survivor for the State of the Union address. 

The 48-year-old educator and favorite travel companion of Dr. Jill Biden was missing from the U.S. Capitol Building where President Joe Biden will address a joint session of Congress in front of droves of dignitaries. 

A White House official confirmed to the Associated Press that he was serving in the designated surivor role.  

Cardona is 15th in line for the presidency.  

Every year the designated survivor is taken to an undisclosed location in case the U.S. Capitol were attacked during the State of the Union, which would wipe out most of the federal government. 

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is serving as this year's designated survivor for the State of the Union address

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland took a selfie featuring other members of the Cabinet, with Cardona noticeably absent 

A popular television show, starring Kiefer Sutherland, was based entirely on this concept. 

Unlike other members of the Cabinet, Cardona wasn't elected to office before his tenure working in the Biden administration but had been appointed to serve as Connecticut's commissioner of education.  

Alberto Gonzales, who was attorney general under President George W. Bush, was the 'designated survivor' in 2007.

Gonzales said it was 'kind of cool' but also a 'sobering moment'.

He was approached by Bush's chief of staff a week beforehand.

He was then given two options of where to be on the night.

One of them was on a plane and he chose that because 'it would be kind of cool to fly around as the president gave the State of the Union.'

When he got to Andrews Air Force Base to board the plane he was greeted by officials from every major government department.

They had 'big binders of protocols and procedures to advise me in the event that I became president.'

Then he 'settled in' on the plane and watched the speech.