{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://sablan.house.gov/obama-signs-11-trillion-spending-bill-law", "Obama signs $1.1 trillion spending bill into law", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "Senate", "MP", "Gregorio Sablan", "S001177", "sablan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Marianas Variety \u2014 WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 With little fanfare to mark a rare bipartisan achievement, President Obama on Tuesday signed a massive, $1.1 trillion spending bill that keeps the government operating over the next nine months.\nThe new law includes U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan\u2019s language extending for another five years the provision barring claims of asylum from within the Northern Marianas which has helped assure that tourists from China can come to the islands without the need of a visa.\nSablan\u2019s language also keeps in place an exemption from the cap on the number of H visas that can be issued for the Northern Mariana Islands or Guam. Contractors on Guam asked for Sablan\u2019s help because short-term, H visa workers will be needed for upcoming military construction on that island. Resort developers in the Northern Marianas, such as the Best Sunshine casino licensee, are likely to require large numbers of temporary construction workers, too, Sablan said.\nLastly, 261 foreign investors, who were allowed into the islands under the Northern Marianas\u2019 own immigration law prior to 2009 and were given the right to remain in return for their investment, will be able to continue in a special, grandfathered visa status, E-2C, for five more years.\n\u201cThe giant spending bill also contains tens of millions of dollars for the Northern Marianas in grant funds for everything from child care and education to water and sewer construction,\u201d Sablan said in an earlier statement.\nThe legislation was a compromise that angered liberals and conservatives alike but avoided a government shutdown and put off partisan clashes over immigration until next year.\nIt was one of the last acts of Congress under the current Republican House and Democratic-controlled Senate. In January, the new Congress will return with Republicans in charge of both chambers.\nThe measure retains cuts negotiated in previous budget battles and rolls back some banking regulations. But it also retains spending for Obama\u2019s health care law and pays for the administration\u2019s fight against Ebola.\nThe Department of Homeland Security, however, will only receive its money through Feb. 27, a condition demanded by Republican leaders to appease critics of Obama\u2019s immigration measures. The department oversees the nation\u2019s immigration enforcement.\nThe agreement, negotiated mainly by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and House and Senate Republican leaders, was the result of a determined effort by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to avoid a government shutdown like the partial one in 2013 that damaged the GOP\u2019s standing with the public.\nStill, conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas chafed at Boehner\u2019s and McConnell\u2019s decision not to use the spending bill to challenge or undo Obama\u2019s executive actions on immigration, especially ones that aim to shield more than 4 million immigrants from deportation and make them eligible for work permits.\nLikewise, liberals complained about a provision that did away with a requirement that large banks spin off their lucrative derivatives business into separate subsidiaries. They also objected to a provision that permits wealthy political donors to increase substantially their contributions to the Democratic and Republican parties.\nThe opposition from the political left and right added drama and uncertainty to the spending bill last week. Obama made personal calls to lawmakers appealing for their votes.\nMeanwhile, Cruz and liberal Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren captured the spotlight by rallying their respective sides to oppose the legislation, laying bare the kinds of intraparty squabbles that could emerge in any future compromise efforts by Obama and the GOP.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://sablan.house.gov/obama-signs-11-trillion-spending-bill-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.383249880746007, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}