Via the Right Scoop, no one knows why he cancelled but there are three tantalizing possibilities. One: It’s the dreaded sequester at work, stealing taxpayer-funded hot dogs and beers from the mouths of poor Beltway pols and reporters. (Or at least the security expenses needed to make that happen.) Just one more reason to hate it. Two: There’s a cooler party happening at Hillary’s house that day and everyone’s going there instead. Three: Journalists have decided to boycott in protest of the DOJ’s heavy-handed tactics in investigating leaks. No more will our nation’s political media hobnob with an administration willing to obtain secret search warrants on the pretext of charging a reporter with criminal conspiracy. For that matter, next year’s White House Correspondents Dinner is canceled too.

No, just kidding about that third one. That’s not remotely a possibility.

This tradition didn’t start with Biden, by the way. Al Gore and Dick Cheney also hosted parties for the media. I wonder, is there some fund I can donate to in order to help Biden keep it going this year? It saddens me to think of the executive branch not being able to gladhand conservative-hating reporters with a summer frolic and I’d like to help if I can.

Past guests have included then-White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Candy Crowley, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow, CBS’s Bob Schieffer, ABC’s Ann Compton, PBS’s Gwen Ifill and New York Times reporter David Sanger, among many others.

The Vice President’s office declined to comment on the record regarding the decision to forego a party this summer.

In March, The White House announced that it would temporarily suspend official White House tours “due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration,” but it is unclear if the Vice President’s party was cancelled for similar reasons.

In fairness, seemingly half the media is related by blood or marriage to members of the administration or are administration alums themselves, so they’re sort of obligated to attend these things. You know how it is with family.