Rubio, Cotton planning to skip Biden's SOTU over COVID restrictions

Senators Marco Rubio and (R-Fla.) Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are among the GOP members of Congress planning to skip President Biden's State of the Union address over COVID-19 restrictions.

Rubio tweeted on Feb. 17 about a document that explained some of the restrictions and wrote, "Below is the #CovidTheatre rituals required to attend the State of the Union. No thank you, maybe next time."

Cotton's office said on Tuesday that the senator also plans to skip to the speech.

“Nancy Pelosi’s COVID theatrics are a joke and Senator Cotton will not be attending," Cotton's spokesperson said.

The Senate does not have a mask requirement in place at this time. However, individuals are required to wear masks on the House side.

The COVID-19 requirements for attendance of the State of the Union including a negative RT-PCR test taken at the Capitol within one day of the address, following social distancing guidelines such as seating separation, using hand sanitizer upon entry to the House Chamber and wearing an FDA-authorized KN95 or N95 mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Biden's State of the Union is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1.