The executive branch
State of the Union
The President's constitutionally required report to Congress on the state of the union, delivered since 1913 as an annual speech to a joint session.
In full
Article II requires the President to inform Congress from time to time and recommend measures. Jefferson sent it in writing, judging a speech too monarchical, and that stayed the practice until Wilson revived the address. It is now the year's clearest statement of an administration's legislative agenda, and the opposition party's televised response is an established counterpart.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.