North Dakota Delegation Reacts to State of the Union

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The two Republicans in North Dakota's congressional delegation say Democratic President Barack Obama's tone in his State of the Union speech wasn't as cooperative as they'd have liked.

Rep. Kevin Cramer says he found the speech "divisive" and not very inspiring. He says Obama "didn't strike any type of a cooperative tone."

Sen. John Hoeven says he liked that Obama talked about trade, cybersecurity and a highway bill. But Hoeven says he's concerned Obama is steering the country toward "higher taxes, more regulation and bigger government."

Obama called for higher taxes on wealthy Americans and new initiatives to boost the middle class. Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp says "the president is rightly focused" on those areas, but she'd also like to hear him speak more about supporting rural communities and agriculture.