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December 27, 2013

Obama Signs Pentagon, Budget Laws 
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President Obama has signed into law the two major congressional measures
of the past month: a Pentagon spending bill and a new budget for 2014.
The military bill bars the transfer of Guantánamo Bay prisoners to the
United States, but frees up their release to foreign countries. In a
signing statement, Obama called the U.S. transfer ban "unwise" and said
he will continue to work for its removal. The measure also keeps
military sexual assault cases within the chain of command while adding
some new protections for survivors. The budget bill averts a government
shutdown early next year, but ignores the extension of jobless benefits
for the unemployment that expired this week.

 

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