Obama Looks to Cabinet for More Executive Actions

President Barack Obama convened his cabinet on Tuesday to devise a new round of executive actions, disregarding Republican plans to file a lawsuit over their use. "We can't wait for Congress to get going on issues that are vital to the middle class," Mr. Obama said while flanked by his top advisers from the Defense Department, Interior Department and other cabinet agencies. "We've already seen some of the power of our executive actions." Mr. Obama highlighted steps to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors and to curtail carbon dioxide emissions. The president said more needs to be done to help the middle class. "We're going to have to be creative about how we can make real progress," he said. House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) last week said he was planning to file a lawsuit against Mr. Obama over his use of executive actions. The unusual legal action would be aimed at reining in steps Mr. Obama has taken that Republicans consider an overreach of his power. "The Constitution makes it clear that the president's job is to faithfully execute the laws. In my view, the president has not faithfully executed the law," Mr. Boehner told reporters Wednesday. He didn't specify which actions he objected to. The White House appears unfazed by the threat. Instead, Mr. Obama this week has blamed House Republicans for blocking progress on issues such as immigration and infrastructure spending and said he would move ahead on his own...more