President Ramps Up His End-Run Around Congress

To the dismay of the Republican congressional leadership, President Obama is issuing a new memorandum today and triggering two new executive actions, ramping up his weeklong effort to act without the help of Congress.

One new action will be an order for all federal agencies to “speed up the transfer of federal research and development from the laboratory to the marketplace,” according to a White House news release.

The second order will create a new website. BusinessUSA, described as “a one-stop, central online webpage where small businesses and businesses of all sizes that want to begin or increase exporting can access information about available federal programs without having to waste time navigating the federal bureaucracy.”

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, dismisses the president’s end-run, telling radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham, “This idea that you’re just going to go around the Congress is just, it’s almost laughable.”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said “the president is operating well within the bounds of his authority, and in a way that is consistent with the kinds of executive actions that presidents have taken in previous administrations, presidents of both parties.”

When ABC News’ Chief White House correspondent Jake Tapper pointed out that many Senate Democrats have also declined to support portions of the president’s jobs package, Carney replied, “you will hear from him and see him continue to take up that cause through executive actions.”

The theme is scheduled to continue next week in the few work days before Obama heads to France for a major G-20 economic summit addressing global growth.