Obama has worked around Congress more than 40 times this year, promises more to come

Since declaring 2014 to be a “year of action,” President Obama has taken more than 40 executive actions, bypassing Congress on economic matters, efforts to reduce U.S. carbon emissions, plans to make higher education more affordable and on a host of other issues.

In a report released Thursday morning, the White House bragged of the fact that Mr. Obama won’t be derailed by the threat of a lawsuit from House Speaker John A. Boehner. The Ohio Republicans contends the president has overstepped his constitutional authority and must be reined in by the courts.

“While Republicans in Congress — the least productive Congress in recent history — continue to block votes on key issues like raising the minimum wage and cutting student loan interest rates, and waste time and taxpayer dollars on political stunts like Speaker Boehner’s plan to sue the President for doing his job, the president will continue to do everything in his power to expand economic opportunity for all Americans,” a White House official said. “There is much more progress to be made and the president won’t let Congress stand in the way.”

The report comes as Mr. Obama is in Texas to meet with ordinary citizens on Thursday, part of a broader effort to reconnect with the American public. The president also headlined two Democratic party fundraisers on Wednesday night while rejecting bipartisan calls to visit the U.S.-Mexico border and see first-hand the growing humanitarian crisis there.

In its report, the White House also touted Mr. Obama’s executive steps in: establishing the controversial Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument; ordering that all federal contractors be paid a new minimum wage of $10.10; securing commitments from private companies and local governments to cut energy waste; and dozens of others.