Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech was a call for bigger and more intrusive government at a time when the government is already hammering our economy and making it harder for Americans to succeed. This is especially true for those in our most distressed communities.

More government spending will lead to higher inflation, higher interest rates and more dependency on government. We need to encourage personal responsibility and national unity. But Biden’s politically charged speech will only cause further division and make it harder to enact health, education, housing and economic policies that provide real opportunities for children to learn and for families to thrive.

Instead of taking action to fix the mess he created at the southern border beginning on his first day in office, President Biden’s sought to shift the blame to Congress. Rather than working with Congress to reduce spending and create more incentives for individuals and businesses to invest and grow our economy, Biden proposed to micromanage everything from credit card fees to the number of potato chips in a package and the size of a chocolate bar.

Biden’s pettiness and deception continued when he accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare. The Social Security trustees tell us that within the next 10 years, there will be a major shortfall in the program’s ability to pay benefits to those who have paid into the system for many, many years. With an election on the horizon, President Biden will use Social Security as a political football and undermine the opportunity for the kind of reforms necessary to empower people and especially people in our distressed communities. Young people in these communities and all communities deserve an opportunity to invest in their retirement security, to have ownership and the ability to share their resources with their children and their grandchildren.

Despite never saying the word abortion, President Biden sought to portray himself as a defender of freedom. However, the extreme legislation that Biden supports will override the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, eliminate every conscious protection for doctors and nurses, and undermine the ability of parents to provide guidance and support to their daughters.

Biden’s congressional supporters chanted “four more years” as he delivered his highly politicized remarks. Voters will make the decision. We will decide soon. And all voters will decide soon if you want the same from Biden, or whether there’s another path that offers more opportunity, a secure border, safer communities and a sense of national purpose.