I was watching the State of the Union address and observed President Biden parrying with G.O.P representatives as they were heckling and booing him over Biden’s claim that some in the G.O.P were advocated cuts to Social Security and Medicare. I watched that exchange with wry amusement and it made me think of the rowdy dialogue that goes on in the British Parliament during ” Question Time”.

In the United Kingdom, and in other Parliaments around the world, there is something called ‘Question Time’, or Prime Ministers Questions where members of Parliament ask questions to the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet. It can get animated at times, particularly in the UK Parliament as the Prime Minister defends their record against adversarial questions from members of the Opposition. It can be really fun to watch though, with members of Parliament engaging in spirited discussion, and Prime Minister loyalists cheering on the PM as he/she speaks.

In light of what was witnessed at the State Of The Union address, I think we should have something similar in this country. Instead of an address, the President can come to Congress and participate in a form of Question Time. It can be something that can happen a few times a year, or once a month. There is no Constitutional Requirement that the State of the Union has to be a Speech to both houses of Congress. Indeed, between the Presidencies of Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt, the address was merely a written letter to Congress. Woodrow Wilson revived the tradition of presenting the State of the Union as a speech in order to be more connected to the public.

One benefit is that it will increase the connection between Congress and the President. An average member of Congress may have little interaction with the President, especially if they are members of the other party. This could be a productive way for them to interact and challenge the President to their face. It would keep a President accountable to Congress and force them to defend their record on a regular basis. This is especially true with Biden, who hasn’t conducted as many press conferences and interviews as his predecessors.

The other benefit of Presidents Questions is that there is a level of awkwardness to the current format. 75 percent of the time during a State of the Union address, the members of the party opposite of the President sit in silence as the President’s own party stands and claps at their leader’s pronouncements. The Question time format allows the President to get momentum from their partisans as they defend their agenda, and the other party can naturally fulfill their role as an opposition party challenging the President. This is something President Biden would be decent at, considering how he parried with the G.O.P a few weeks ago.

These are just my thoughts on how the constitutional requirement for the President to give an update on the State of the Union can be improved. What are your thoughts? Have you ever watched Prime Minister’s Questions?

If you want to see what Prime Ministers Questions looks like in the UK, here is a clip. Also, here is a clip of the former Speaker of the UK Parliament, John Bercow. He has retired now, but he was hilarious, and half of what made Prime Ministers Questions so fun.