Before President Barack Obama could leave the nation's capitol, he had to sign a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the government operating into 2012.
The Senate approved the bill last Saturday in a flurry of year-end activity that was overshadowed by the payroll tax cut showdown.
In the bill, republicans blocked new federal regulations for those energy-efficient light bulbs while the White House dodged an attempt from the GOP to block limits on greenhouse gasses.
