In the most unusual “state of the union” address in modern times, President Joe Biden drew Republican criticism as he spoke of plans to raise taxes and grow the federal government.

Only about 200 members of the House and Senate attended because Biden’s administration is afraid of infection of the Chinese coronavirus.

Biden wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 a hour. He pushed for more gun control, indicating that guns should only be used for hunting. He spoke of bringing American troops home from Afghanistan.

“I was listening tonight for the unity we were promised – the commitment to bipartisanship that Biden promised during his inauguration,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma. “I was disappointed – sure he talked about the idea, but his proposed actions told a different story.”

Inhofe said Biden was deceitful when Biden updated the efforts on vaccines for the Chinese coronavirus.

“He announced that his administration had surpassed the ‘goals’ that it set,” said Inhofe. “But we all know the real person to thank for the vaccine is President Donald Trump, because he launched Operation Warp Speed. We now have vaccines available for any American who wants one; it was a true success. Thank you, President Trump.”

Inhofe said Biden’s proposed $2,000,000,000,000.00 “infrastructure” plan is really “just the Green New Deal in disguise.”

“The Biden Plan spends more on electric vehicles than on all traditional infrastructure combined,” Inhofe said. “Just seven percent of the Biden Plan goes to roads, bridges, airports and waterways – what we can agree is infrastructure – and the rest goes to enacting the radical climate agenda.

“Clearly the Biden administration is trying use the popularity of traditional infrastructure to enact the progressive wish list. Fortunately, Republicans and Democrats have an alternative in Sen. Capito’s proposal and I hope President Biden is genuine in his openness to considering that legislation and compromise.”

Inhofe said Biden has already proposed $6 trillion in new spending and not a single dollar of that increase is for national defense.

“Biden’s team has said the right things about China and Russia – but they aren’t doing anything to back it up,” Inhofe said. “The Bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission Report agrees that we must increase defense spending by three to five percent each year to keep our edge against China. Yet, after proposing $6 trillion in new spending, he doesn’t even give our troops enough of an increase to keep pace with inflation in the budget.”

Biden’s policies in his first 100 days include a wide open southern border.

“I’m also very concerned about the border, and I don’t think President Biden is,” Inhofe said. “Trump’s policies were working. Biden’s aren’t. The Border Patrol projects another 172,000 border apprehensions in April, which is 255 percent higher than the three year average. It’s clearly a crisis – but Biden still won’t treat it like one. We have to get a handle on the border before we can have a real conversation about immigration reform.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, who didn’t attend the joint session because of the coronavirus protocols, said Biden’s speech was all about big government.

“It wasn’t that long ago that Bill Clinton said the age of big government is over, but what Biden promised tonight is the largest expansion of government in our history,” said Rep. Hern. “In 100 days, the Biden Administration has managed to add $5.95 trillion in new spending, on top of the existing federal budget. This disregard for deficits alarms people across the political spectrum.

“Tonight, Biden did nothing to alleviate those concerns, and instead made the argument for even more unchecked spending. I’d like to see more effort from this White House to help the American people instead of patting themselves on the back for driving us into unimaginable debt.”

Hern said Biden is “waging a war on prosperity.”

“Nearly every executive order has resulted in the elimination of American jobs,” Hern said. “Now that his speech is over, Biden and Harris are embarking on a tour of the country to sell their ‘American Jobs Plan’, which does little to help the millions of Americans whose jobs were signed away by Biden’s executive orders.

“Much like his inaugural address, Biden’s speech tonight lacked substance. Anyone can stand up and commit to unity and bipartisanship, but it’s much harder – and requires much more integrity – to put those words into action. Biden has proven himself unreliable and unwilling to reach across the aisle to fulfill the most basic of his promises.

“To put an Oklahoma spin on it, Biden is all hat and no cattle. Unfortunately, it’s the American people who are suffering the consequences.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, said Biden has proposed a $4.5 trillion annual budget, a $1.9 trillion relief bill, a $2.3 trillion “infrastructure” program and a $1.9 trillion expansion of welfare.

“Collectively, these programs represent an unprecedented expansion of the size, scope and cost of government in an era of relative peace and prosperity,” Cole said. “President Biden’s expensive proposals would transform America from a free market economy, based on hard work and individual initiative, into a European style social welfare state, replete with high taxes, reams of regulations and a suffocating bureaucracy to regulate our lives and harass hardworking taxpayers.”

Cole said Biden has proposed the greatest increase in taxes in modern history.

“He has sought to make this acceptable by triggering class conflict on an unprecedented scale,” Cole said. “He seeks to persuade the American people that they can have unlimited government services at someone else’s expense. Fortunately, Americans are smarter than that. They know there is no free lunch.

“To say that the president has overreached during his first weeks in office would be a gross understatement. But he has sparked an historic debate over the appropriate scope and size of government as well as the amount of taxes it will consume to provide the services that its proponents claim it will provide. I expect that debate to play out in the halls of Congress and on the campaign trail in the weeks and months ahead.

“And in the end, I believe my fellow advocates of smaller government, lower taxes, fiscal sanity and economic growth will prevail.”

U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said Biden spoke of unity but his actions are divisive.

“From out-of-control spending and endorsing Green New Deal policies to raising taxes and turning a blind eye to the border crisis, it is clear from his first 100 days that President Biden has handed the keys to the White House over to the far-left wing of his party and will continue to do so,” Mullin said. “This is the wrong direction for our country.”