WASHINGTON — Limping into his sixth year in office, President Obama used his State of the Union Address Tuesday night to announce executive actions that let him pursue a policy agenda without the hassle of going through Congress.
Among his first unilateral moves is increasing the minimum wage by nearly 50 percent for future federal-contract workers.
“America does not stand still — 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,” Obama declared in the prime-time speech.
The president spoke in stark terms about persistent “inequality” in the country during his tenure, despite a stock-market boom.
“Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better,” he said.
“But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by — let alone get ahead. And too many still aren’t working at all.”
It was an assessment ripped right from Mayor de Blasio’s “Tale of Two Cities” playbook — although in Obama’s case, he has already been in office for five years.
The president tried to deploy optimistic language, even after going through a year filled with challenges overseas and at home, where many of his initiatives died in Congress.
“In the coming months, let’s see where else we can make progress together. Let’s make this a year of action,” he said.
Even before Obama addressed Congress, the White House announced he would sign a new executive order hiking the minimum wage to $10.10 for all future federal-contract workers.
It was his boldest action yet on an issue sweeping across New York and other states — after Obama failed to get anything out of Congress last year when he called for a minimum-wage hike to $9 from the current $7.25 for all American workers.
He also came out for legislation that would raise the national minimum wage to the same $10.10 over a three-year period, indexed to inflation.
But only 250,000 federal-contract employees would initially be affected, the White House told members of a liberal policy group.
Obama also used his speech to roll out a series of relatively limited proposals, none of which matched the scope of his first-term efforts like ObamaCare or the failed effort to enact-climate change legislation.
The proposals include:
- Establishing new retirement-savings accounts for those who can’t get one on the job. The proposal will be outlined at a speech Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
- Asking Congress to close the detention base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — though Obama just signed a defense bill that included a congressionally mandated provision ruling out closure.
- Extending unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed, though House Republicans have previously rebuffed that extension and allowed the benefit to expire at the start of the year.
- Connecting more schools to the Internet and making college more affordable.
According to the White House, the minimum-pay boost for federal contractors would include “military-base workers who wash dishes, serve food and do laundry.”
It’s not clear that this year’s pitch to increase the national minimum wage will fare any better than last year’s.
Back then, Obama said: “This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead.”
But it went nowhere in the Republican-run House or Democratic-run Senate.
That was one of a slew of items from Obama’s 2013 State of the Union agenda that never gained traction, such as his proposals to reform Medicare, close tax loopholes and set up a $50 billion infrastructure fund.
House Speaker John Boehner blasted the higher minimum wage for contract workers soon after the plan was released.
“This morning’s announcement, you should all know, affects no current contracts, only future contracts,” Boehner said.
“And somebody might want to ask the White House, ‘Well how many people is this going to affect?’ Because I suspect it affects absolutely no one,” he continued.
In a January Quinnipiac University poll, 71 percent of Americans, and even a majority of Republicans, supported raising the minimum wage.
Gov. Cuomo has signed a state wage hike into law, raising the minimum wage to $8 as of this month, eventually rising to $9. But there are already efforts under way to raise it again.
Obama is prepared to act when he believes he has the authority to “make progress,” newly installed adviser John Podesta told National Public Radio.
“But he doesn’t like to do this, does he?” the NPR host followed up. “Uh, I think he’s warmed up to it,” Podesta replied with a laugh.
In the past, Republicans have sometimes gone along with wage hikes when paired with tax cuts. But Obama can’t count on help this time.
“The economy is stagnant. We have not recovered. When you start mandating labor costs, small business are either going to hire less or increase the costs of services,” said Mike Durant, state director of the New York National Federation of Independent Businesses.
Obama is also trying to give a new boost to stalled immigration legislation, just days before House Republicans unveil a page of “principles” on the issue.
Among those in the audience listening to Obama was Washington Heights honor student Estiven Rodriguez, the son of a Dominican immigrant, who was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama.
In 2012, Obama used his executive authority to halt deportations of people who were brought here illegally by their parents, but otherwise have clean records.
Obama hits the road Wednesday in an effort to sell his proposals, after advisers used the holidays to reflect on how to recapture lost momentum and regain the initiative.
He heads to a Costco store in suburban Maryland. Later, he flies to a Pittsburgh steel plant.
On Thursday, Obama is scheduled to fly to Wisconsin and Nashville.
The first lady has her own trip planned.
She heads to LA Wednesday for a taped appearance with host Ryan Seacrest where she’ll promote her “Lets Move” campaign.
Later this week, she’ll hit two fund-raisers in San Francisco.