Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement tonight in response to President Obama's State of the Union address: 

"I hope that tonight's address is the beginning of a new direction for Washington. It is obvious to every American outside the Beltway that our fiscal future is in crisis. Yet under this administration, and this Congress, we see record spending, record deficits and record debt. The American people don't want more political posturing about fiscal discipline, they want action. For the sake of our children's future, tonight must be the night we start to get our fiscal house in order.

"We must immediately begin to make the tough and common-sense decisions that will rein in runaway federal spending and that will help put people back to work. While we may disagree on many areas of public policy, House Republicans are ready to work with the president on the challenges facing our country. House Republicans will hold the president accountable for the promises he has made to the American people tonight."