The coronavirus has killed over 900,000 Americans, but Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) plans to boycott the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night because a COVID test is required to attend.

The State of the Union Address will be President Joe Biden’s first since taking office in 2021 and there are lots of topics he’ll likely be touching upon, including the pandemic, the Capitol insurrection, and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Because the address means that Congress will be packed with just about every government official in Washington DC, it makes sense that a COVID test would be required of every person who attends.

After all, the last thing our country needs is for our government to be crippled by a deadly virus. Plus, the test is not that much of an inconvenience considering rapid testing will likely be used.

But Rubio has announced that he will not attend and he excused his decision by blaming the test requirement.

“I don’t have time to go take a COVID test today,” Rubio said on Tuesday according to the Daily Beast. “I only take a test if I’m sick.”

Of course, Rubio should know by now that you can have the coronavirus and spread it to others without having any symptoms yourself. His excuse is selfish and petty and follows his complaints about the testing requirement at CPAC.

“For the first time in American history, you now have people having to produce paper to go in somewhere, to sit somewhere, to go to the State of the Union,” Rubio whined on stage in front of anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, and extremists who had no problem with hundreds of Trump supporters violently storming the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow democracy on January 6, 2021.

In fact, people entering the Capitol must provide security with identification before entering. Even lawmakers need credentials.

Rubio’s excuse is flimsy. If he doesn’t want to attend the address he should just say that and not use COVID testing as an excuse. The State of the Union is actually important again for the first time after four years of Trump using the speech to spread lies and propaganda. But that’s apparently all Republicans want to hear.

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