“While President Biden spent tonight attempting, but failing, to convince the American people that the State of our Union is strong, I am here to tell you what I am witnessing on the ground in South Jersey.

“President Biden may spend a lot of time at his beach house in Delaware, but I know that time is not being spent with real, hardworking Americans.

“Here are the facts.

“Before Joe Biden took office, in one of the biggest towns in my district, the police department used to get well over 500 applications for an open position.

“Now after two years of Joe Biden failing to suppress the defund the police movement, the town is lucky to get 50 applications.

“Since Joe Biden took office, retired police officers’ 401k’s in my district have gone down 25%, while costs of living have skyrocketed.

“A South Jersey firefighter is building a home with his pregnant wife. Basic appliances are backordered six months, construction costs are up 30%, and because of our crippled supply chain, they won’t even be able to move into their new home before their baby is born.

“Restaurants in my district have had to close certain days of the week because they cannot find people willing to work.

“Parents and grandparents have confided in me as to how scared they are to send their children to public schools, where radical and anti-American lesson plans are becoming more and more prevalent.

“Labor challenges are leaving shelves empty – with bread in limited supply; milk rarely stocked; cold cuts selling out because of production shortages; and frozen foods shooting up in prices.

“Even just recently, a young family of four in my district told me that they are spending an extra $300 a month compared to last year for virtually all the same items.

“And while this administration allows millions of illegal migrants to flow through our southern border, a constituent in my district could not even get a hearing for her son to become a legal resident, who was residing in the Philippines.

“This is Joe Biden’s America.

“An America where inflation has risen over 13%.

“An America where attacks against our law enforcement reached the deadliest levels in two decades.

“An America that fell 15,000 people short of Army recruiting goals.

“An America where in just three months, enough fentanyl was apprehended at our border to kill over 2.1 billion people.

“An America where we put the needs of illegal aliens before the needs of American citizens.

“An America where schools care more about ‘wokeness’ and ‘inclusivity’ than protecting women in sports.

“An America where certain viewpoints are censored, and lawmakers argue that the First Amendment is not ‘absolute.’

“This is not the America we know and love.

“The America we know and love is the greatest experiment the world has ever seen.

“It is a nation full of ideas, hope, freedom, prosperity.

“And in the past two years, we have lost sight of this.

“Put Americans first, give them the economic opportunities they need to succeed, and secure our nation’s borders.

“When the people are strong, our nation is strong. And when America is strong, the world is a safer place.”