 Presiding over this joint session was the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by Joe Biden, the Vice President of the United States.During his speech, President Obama discussed the recently passed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 as well as the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the state of the economy, and the future of the country.Attorney General Eric Holder was the designated survivor and did not attend the address in order to maintain a continuity of government.