Vice President Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., stand and applaud as President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Elected officials representing Butler County were split along party lines regarding their views on President Joe Biden's joint address to Congress on Wednesday.

While U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, called the speech and the president's agenda “a foundation for change that will transform the lives of our families and children,” his Republican counterpart U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey assailed the Biden administration for “forcing through aspects of the left-wing wish list” by executive order and “partisan legislation.”

In his address, Biden touted the accomplishments of his administration through its first 100 days. But to U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, both the president's speech and his actions to this point espouse a view contrary to the ideology upon which Biden ran.

“Joe Biden ran on unifying the American people, but his actions have spoken far louder than his words,” Kelly said in a statement.

“The first 100 days of his presidency can only be characterized by a failure to secure our southern border, attacks on America's energy industry, disrespect for law enforcement, calls for massive new taxes and record spending on the left's socialist priorities.”

That sharply contrasts with Casey's complimentary view of the president's actions thus far.

“Over nearly 100 days, President Biden and Vice President (Kamala) Harris have worked to get the COVID-19 public health emergency under control, pass historic rescue legislation to provide relief for working families and lay out a vision for what 'building back better' is all about,” the state's senior U.S. senator said. “During his address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden demonstrated that he and Democrats in Congress aren't done making progress for working families and children.”

Toomey, on the other hand, criticized Biden's actions, much like Kelly, as an about-face from the president's inaugural address promise of working toward national unity.

The junior U.S. senator specifically critiqued an initiative Biden unveiled Wednesday — the American Families Plan — which includes two years of free community college, direct support for low- and middle-income families for child care and extensions to tax cuts included in January's COVID-19 relief package.

“Tonight's announcement of a new, dramatic, and costly expansion of the welfare state — paid for by massive tax increases — is yet another example of this hyperpartisan approach that the Biden administration has deployed since January,” Toomey said.

For Toomey, the Biden administration's words of unity do not match up with its actions.

“I do not expect to agree with President Biden on most policy issues,” Toomey said. “But there are areas we can work together, including rebuilding our roads and bridges, expanding firearm background checks and forging new free trade agreements.

“I have made this clear to the president and his team, and I hope he will take me and other Republicans who have done the same up on our offers.”

And in a statement, Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15th, noted that Biden had signed “more than 60 executive orders” and added, “I am looking for real leadership from the president to work in a bipartisan manner on infrastructure and rural broadband.”

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, aired his support for the American Families Plan, comparing it with his budget plan for the state.

U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.