这就是自乔治·华盛顿（George Washington）总统以来，多任总统每年一次到国会发表国情咨文讲话的原因（有些总统选择采用提交书面报告）。国情咨文讲话是除总统就职演说外，最引起关注的总统讲话。

今年，奥巴马总统将于1月12日发表他的第七次国情咨文讲话。

除了富兰克林•罗斯福（Franklin D. Roosevelt）总统在欧洲战争风云四起之际于1941年1月6日发表的“四大自由”（Four Freedoms）讲话之外，国情咨文往往是罗列长串提案的清单。有时，总体会宣布重要的行动计划，例如，乔治W.布什（George W. Bush ）总统在2003年的讲话中提出了在非洲征服艾滋病的计划，即美国总统艾滋病紧急救援计划（ U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)）。这项计划后来成为法律，并且得到奥巴马政府的继续贯彻。

除了国葬和就职典礼外，总统的国情咨文演说是美国政府立法、行政和司法三个分支的成员同堂出席的唯一场合（在众议院会议厅）。在座者不一定与总统观点一致，但这个晚上让人们注意到，聚集到一起——当然还有倾听——所具有的重要意义。

自由撰稿人Christopher Connell和Susan Milligan参与撰写本文。


 The U.S. Constitution gives the president important powers, from being commander in chief to faithfully executing all laws. But it also imposes requirements, and one of them is unique: The president must “from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union.”

That is why many presidents since George Washington have stood before Congress once a year and given a speech. Apart from the inaugural address, the State of the Union is a president’s highest-visibility speech.

This year, on January 12, President Obama will deliver his seventh State of the Union address.

With the exception of the Four Freedoms speech that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered on January 6, 1941, as war raged in Europe, these speeches often become laundry lists of proposals. Sometimes a president unveils an important initiative, such as in 2003, when President George W. Bush proposed a plan to fight AIDS in Africa. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) became law and was later embraced by the Obama administration.

Aside from state funerals and inaugurations, the State of the Union is the only occasion when the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government are in the same room (the House of Representatives’ chambers). The audience doesn’t always agree with the president, but the evening is a reminder of the importance of meeting, and, of course, listening.

Freelance writers Christopher Connell and Susan Milligan contributed to this article.