Obama Vows to Accomplish Legislative Agenda, With or Without Congress

After a bruising 2013, the President aims to hit the mark in 2014 – but by what means?Faced with addressing the nation after a tough year for his administration, President Obama made an attempt to save face during Tuesday’s State of the Union address by promising a way to move forward on his legislative agenda – with or without Congress’s cooperation.
 
“America does not stand still,” Obama said, “and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.”
 
The President challenged lawmakers to help advance key agenda items such as immigration and labor reforms, emphasizing that he will no longer wait for congressional approval in order to take action.
 
Obama has come under heavy criticism for his use of executive orders to advance the administration’s priorities in a manner that essentially adds on to the language of a given bill. The President may choose to resort to this non-legislative, constitutionally dubious option if his efforts are frustrated in Congress, but selling this strategy as a good idea to a population that has grown wary of the White House’s agenda (and its implementation) will prove to be a tall order indeed.
 
 
 
Alberto González is the Associate Editor of Aleteia’s English edition. His prior endeavors have included working in political campaigns and in the United States Senate. He also maintains an active schedule as a liturgical vocalist and organist.
 
A native of California, Alberto graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010 with a B.A. in Music and Political Science. He currently lives in the greater Washington, D.C. area.