(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- President Barack Obama offered a positive assessment of the economy during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Democratic North Carolina Congressman David Price said he was impressed by the President's speech.

"It was forceful. It was well delivered. It put the ball in Congress' court effectively for some of these things that we need to get moving on and it was, of course, overwhelmingly on the economy, on jobs, on the recovery.  We need to accelerate and move the recovery forward," said Price.

Republican North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr said the President touched on many important issues but actions speak louder than words.  “I do not blame the President for the difficulties he inherited when he took office, but I do hold him accountable for the ineffective, expensive, job-killing policies he has forced onto the American people over the last three years," said Burr.

The President said Tuesday night that he will fight efforts to return to policies that helped create the downturn.