Obama Taking More Steps On Own To Help Businesses

President Barack Obama is announcing two more executive actions on the economy, both of them small  steps intended to give a boost to businesses.

The moves cap a week in which Obama has sought to employ the power of his office as he struggles with his jobs bill on Capitol Hill.

Obama will direct government agencies to shorten the time it takes for federal research to turn into commercial products in the marketplace.

And Obama will call for the creation of a centralized online site, called BusinessUSA, for companies to get information on federal services more easily. The administration will be directed to get the site running within 90 days.

Administration officials say Obama plans to announce both steps in presidential memos Friday  morning.