Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna announced she would not be attending President Joe Biden's State of the Union (SOTU) address tonight.
Luna, who first assumed office in January 2023, has been a vocal critic of President Biden.
"The State of the Union has historically been a revered ceremony symbolizing bipartisan unity and our national resolve," Luna wrote. "However, given the findings of our investigations, I have been conducting along with other members of the House Oversight, I cannot in good conscience sit through hours of spin and lying to the American people."
Luna said she refused to be "complicit" in the "charade" orchestrated by the Biden administration.
"I will not pretend that this President is leading our country down a path of prosperity; from the disastrous handling of the southern border crisis, to the economic downturn caused by reckless spending and inflation, to now funding both sides of the war we are seeing in Israel," she wrote.
The Florida representative asserted the world was in "turmoil" because of President Biden's record on the world stage.
"I will not be a part of the puppet show," she added.
Luna's Democratic opponent in the upcoming general election, Whitney Fox, criticized her decision to sit out tonight's SOTU as "headline chasing."
"Nothing symbolizes her first term in office better than an empty seat," Fox wrote. "Luna hasn't shown up to help the people of Pinellas struggling with rising costs, insurance, and lack of affordable housing and healthcare."
The SOTU will begin at 9 p.m. EST.
