Business_Finance

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Barbara B. Lang, President and CEO, D.C. Chamber of Commerce talks about the future of the D.C. Council in the halls of the John A. Wilson Building in Washington, D.C., Thursday, June 7, 2012, a day after D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown resigned after federal prosecutors accused him of lying on a loan application. (Rod Lamkey Jr/The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** In this Nov. 16, 2012, photo, President Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Admnistration officials say Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner met Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impeding "fiscal cliff." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

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The Redskins defense forced two turnovers — including this interception by London Fletcher (59) — to slow the Ravens during the third quarter. (Preston Keres/Special to The Washington Times)

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President Obama (right) walks with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner toward the Oval Office at the White House in Washington as he returns from speaking about the "fiscal cliff" at the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Illustration Defense Spending by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times

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House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 7, 2012, to discuss the pending fiscal cliff. Boehner said there's been no progress in negotiations on how to avoid the fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts and called on President Obama to come up with a new offer. (Associated Press)

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Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning attempts a pass against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter of the Broncos' 26-13 victory in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 6, 2012. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner answers questions Nov. 30, 2012, about averting the "fiscal cliff" for the Dec. 2 episode of CBS' “Face the Nation.” (Associated Press/CBS News)

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A worker does the preparation work for welding the first section of the South Stream pipeline in Anapa, Russia, on Dec. 7, 2012, when Russian energy giant Gazprom was due to launch the construction of the pipeline, which is expected to be delivering up to 63 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually, starting in 2015. (Associated Press)

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A construction worker stands inside the fenced off area outside the Wilson Building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Work is underway to build a viewing platform here for the Inauguration parade. This Pennsylvania Avenue entrance is likely to be closed to the public through March so that the platform can be torn down after Jan. 21. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)