WASHINGTON, Oct 20: Despite his win last week in a debt ceiling standoff with Republicans, President Barack Obama has limited ability to achieve his policy goals through legislation, which could result in increased use of executive powers, administration officials and Democratic strategists said.
The 16-day partial government shutdown highlighted Obama’s challenges in basic governing. Although he refused to concede to Republicans in exchange for reopening the government and raising the US borrowing limit, he could not block the emergence of what he called a “manufactured” crisis.
The president would now like to seize momentum to push forward three legislative priorities: the farm bill, immigration reform and a more lasting budget deal.
But his chances of progress on those issues, particularly immigration reform, depend on convincing embittered Republicans to work with a White House many of them detest. That leaves Obama more or less at the same strategic juncture he encountered before the shutdown began.
“His only play is to just keep being consistent about trying to find ways for bipartisan cooperation on the things that need congressional action and then try to continue what he’s been doing for years now … And that’s looking for ways to move the ball through executive action,” a senior White House official told Reuters.
“In that sense, nothing has changed in our approach except that we and the whole town had to burn however many weeks on this detour – which is a shame.”
Already this year, Obama has relied on executive actions to enact climate change and gun control policies that had weak congressional support. He could use the same authority to bypass lawmakers on other regulatory questions.
But that strategy has limits. Some of the administration’s climate rules are being challenged at the Supreme Court, and Obama still needs Congress to enact the major reforms that his advisers hope will define his legacy.
“Obama did himself no favors when it comes to his own policy priorities,” said an aide to John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives.
“His refusal to negotiate in good faith makes it difficult for our members to work with him on other big priorities. Immigration reform, already a huge task, looks even tougher.”
The error-filled rollout of Obama’s signature healthcare program hurts his ability to focus on other domestic policy goals as well. Republicans plan to hammer the administration in coming weeks over flaws that have prevented people from signing up for health insurance through new exchanges.
House Republican efforts to delay or defund the healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare, triggered the partial government shutdown.
(AGENCIES)
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