HONOLULU -- Hawaii's congressional delegation agreed that President Barack Obama gave an uplifting speech aimed at renewing hope among Americans.

They also applauded the president's call for new jobs. The president wants to take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid the government and use it to help community banks keep small businesses afloat.

In his first State of the Union address, the president also pushed eliminating all capital gains taxes on small business investments.

He also wants a new small business tax credit for employers hiring new workers or raising wages.

"Both Democrats and Republicans applauded him loudly on that," Sen. Daniel Inouye, Hawaii-D said over the phone.

"These jobs will certainly help Hawaii and the rest of the country," said Sen. Daniel Akaka, Hawaii-D.

"These are the kinds of measures that's really going to create jobs, get our economy moving and help our middle class," said U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie supported the president's call to freeze government spending for three years starting in 2011.

"There's plenty of room in government right now to get at waste and corruption," Abercrombie said.

The proposed spending freeze would not affect national security, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

On the president's promise to work toward repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military Inouye said, "I'm glad he had the courage to do that. It's about time. Because there are many men and women who are gay or lesbian and if they want to serve this country, I think we should give them every opportunity to serve."

Obama also called for non-partisanship and a coming together on his stalled health care reform plan.

"That is exactly what needed to be said. You do not want the negative force of the great private interests and insurance companies and their allies get away with it," said Abercrombie.

"I'm really glad that he called upon basically in the Senate to pass a lot of the measures that we've already passed in the house," said Hirono. The president also wanted to double America's exports over the next five years, to create 2 million jobs.

Abercrombie said he hopes incentives will help Hawaii, as the state enters into new areas of agriculture with the goal of exporting new products that bear Hawaii's name.