Reactions to the State of the Union speech from Minnesota's congressional delegation

Reactions on President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech from Minnesota's congressional delegation:

"The President is where Minnesota wants him to be -- focused like a laser on jobs. The only way we're going to turn this economy around is to put people to work right away. There are a lot of good ideas out there right now, like investing in our small businesses, rebuilding our infrastructure, and creating the green jobs we'll need to have a workforce that's competitive in the 21st century economy. I look forward to working with the President as Congress moves forward on job creation."

--Democratic Sen. Al Franken

"The president made it clear that he's on the side of middle-class Americans -- presenting a specific policy changes designed to create more jobs like the good jobs at Tuohy Furniture in Chatfield, Minn., while also cutting the deficit. Democrats did this before under President Clinton, and I know we can do it again under President Obama."

--Democratic Rep. Tim Walz

"Over the past several months, the American people have sent a resounding message that Washington is on the wrong path. They've grown tired of runaway spending, massive deficits and debt, and more government intervention into their lives. They want a new path, one that above all focuses on putting people back to work and getting our economy moving again. ... President Obama acknowledged some of those concerns by articulating his desire to work on the key issues facing the American people. I share a strong desire to address these issues and turn the page on what has been a year of missed opportunities."

--Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen

"President Obama finally got the message -- stop spending! But he's a day late and a dollar short. Freezing non-security discretionary funding now will freeze it at the highest funding levels we've ever seen. This 'freeze' only applies to 12 percent of the budget, disregards massive new spending programs enacted in the last year and ignores mandatory funding, which is where most of the changes need to be made."

--Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann