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Posted: Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013 12:19 PM HST

Obama in Hawaii, fiscal cliff standoff behind him

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama is back in Hawaii for vacation after a tense, end-of-the-new-year standoff with Congress over the fiscal cliff. The president arrived early Wednesday morning, local time, after an overnight flight aboard Air Force One. He was rejoining his family for a holiday break after having returned to Washington following Christmas to deal with the unfinished business that threatened to throw the economy back into recession. The House voted late Tuesday night on a package to avoid income tax increases for most Americans, allowing rates to rise on incomes exceeding $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples. The wide-ranging deal, approved by the Senate earlier, delayed for two months billions in budget-wide cuts. The White House had no immediate update on when Obama would receive and sign the bill.