Dear Leader: I Will Not Be Defied

President Obama Tuesday said he’s “not going to be waiting for legislation” from Congress to move forward on his agenda in 2014, further stoking a clash between both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue over the reach of executive power.

“I’ve got a pen, and I’ve got a phone,” Obama said before a Cabinet meeting at the White House Tuesday, issuing a challenge to GOP lawmakers who have blocked most of his second-term agenda.

Obama is hailing 2014 as a “year of action” after enduring the roughest 12-month stretch of his presidency.

However, the outlook for his top priorities, including immigration reform and progressive economic fixes, is hazy in the Republican-controlled House.

In alluding to his “pen” and “phone,” Obama made clear that he would not hold back from issuing executive orders and rallying the public behind his agenda.