Obama to lay out go-it-alone approach in big speech

U.S. President Barack Obama sits inside the Oval Office as he prepares for Tuesday night's State of the Union Address to the nation on Capitol Hill, while at the White House in Washington, January 27, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will lay out a strategy for getting around a divided Congress and boosting middle-class prosperity on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that reflects some scaled-back legislative ambitions after a difficult year.

Obama will make clear in his 9 p.m. (2 a.m. British time Wednesday) address that he is willing to bypass U.S. lawmakers and go it alone in some areas by announcing a series of executive actions that do not require congressional approval.