U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton):

"For families struggling to make ends meet, tonight's rhetoric did little to allay their concerns for the future. What they got instead was another campaign-style speech touting government spending as the engine of our economy, and no real plan to ensure a strong private sector that will grow jobs and make America globally competitive again."

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield):

"I still think our biggest problem is the unemployment. I just don't feel like what [Obama's] been doing has been working. We've got to go back to the people who will hire folks. I also think that a lot of people who have jobs are just finding life is less affordable these days – costs are going up, but income is not going up."

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)

"If we can put aside our political differences and work together to pass a long-term solution, we would avoid the pending sequester and send a strong signal to our creditors that America remains a stable place to conduct business."