When President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union Address Tuesday, central Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller won’t be in attendance. The second-term Republican from Illinois’ 15th District says she is boycotting the speech in protest of what she calls “Biden’s record of lying to the American people.”
“Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up President Trump’s State of the Union Address, which celebrated a secure border, support for our military, and American energy independence,” Miller said in a news release. “Joe Biden’s presidency has been filled with lie after lie, especially lies about the border being secure, inflation being temporary, and the DOJ targeting parents for attending school board meetings. I will not be attending Biden’s State of the Union to listen to him lie about the damage he has caused to our country while the left-wing media and members of Congress applaud his lies.”
Miller also called attention to the Chinese balloon that flew across the continental United States last week, along with the recent discovery of classified documents in Biden’s possession from his time as vice president. She did not address classified material found at former President Donald Trump’s home. Trump endorsed Miller during her recent campaign.
“I will be giving my guest ticket to Air Force Colonel (Ret) Mark A. Hurley of Sherman, Illinois, who retired from the military because of Biden’s unjust COVID vaccine mandate. Biden used the COVID vaccine mandate as a political purge to force the best and the brightest out of our military, and Biden has still failed to provide accountability for his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan more than two years ago,” she added.
Hurley was also quoted regarding the State of the Union Address.
“It’s an honor to be able to personally thank Congresswoman Miller and Speaker McCarthy for their efforts to end the COVID vaccine requirement for military members. These legislative leaders continued the battle we did not have time to complete through our normal chain of command,” said Col. Hurley. “We are truly grateful for the thousands of military careers they have saved.”
It is likely other Republicans could skip the address. This form of protest has become more common in recent years. Several Democrats chose to be absent for the speech when Trump was in office.
The President will speak at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night.
The speech, along with reaction and analysis, can be heard on Illinois Public Media – WILL AM 580/FM 90.9.
For the first time, NPR will offer coverage in Spanish. You can hear that at IllinoisNewsroom.org/Noticias.