Republicans want to send a message that they plan to cut spending and their messenger will be Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee. The GOP tapped Ryan, one of the Republican "young guns," to deliver the response to President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday.

Republicans clearly want to distinguish themselves from Democrats and promote the idea that they are more fiscally responsible, so on Tuesday, Ryan will deliver the GOP response from the Budget Committee hearing room, where he plans to make cuts to the federal budget.

Republicans said they chose Ryan because of his longstanding criticism of big-government policies and his commitment to free enterprise and limited government.

"Paul Ryan has spent the better part of the last two years explaining exactly why the Democratic agenda has been so bad for jobs and the economy and why we need to ditch the government-driven approach in favor of creative, common-sense solutions that put the American people back in charge," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said.