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December 21, 2015

Obama Signs $1.8 Trillion Spending Bill That Lifts Ban on U.S. Oil Exports
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President Obama has signed a $1.8 trillion spending and tax cut package
after Congress passed the deal in a rare moment of bipartisan unity. The
measure expands military spending and provides a billion-dollar tax
loophole sought by the hotel, restaurant and gambling industry. It also
lifts the 40-year ban on exporting U.S.-produced crude oil, a move Oil
Change International called "a disaster for the climate." Democratic
leaders said lifting the ban was crucial for winning Republican support.
Obama praised Congress for passing the bill.

President Obama: "And today they passed a bipartisan budget deal. I'm
not wild about everything in it. I'm sure that's true for everybody. But
it is a budget that, as I insisted, invests in our military and our
middle class without ideological provisions that would have weakened
Wall Street reform or rules on big polluters."



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