President Obama requested broader authority from Congress to reorganize some government agencies and elevate one entity to the status of federal agency, promising that he would pursue these goals “with or without Congress.”

“So with or without Congress, I’m going to keep at it,” President Obama said of his announced effort to streamline government for small businesses. “I’m hopeful it’s with Congress because this is an area where we can receive bipartisan support, because making our government more responsive, strategic and leaner should not be a partisan issue,” he said in the prepared statement.