Barack Obama

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Associated Press President Obama signs the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act at the White House on Thursday. The legislation, which passed both houses of Congress unanimously, calls on agencies to crack down on improper government payments.

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President Obama personally has called and apologized to the former Agriculture Department worker, Shirley Sherrod, who was fired this week after comments she made in a two-minute video clip which sparked claims of racism and a media frenzy. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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President Obama signs the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act in a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday, July 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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President Obama, center seated, signs the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act in a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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A close-up as President Obama signs the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act in a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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Outgoing director of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag after President Obama signed the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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President Obama departs after signing the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act at the White House in Washington on July 22, 2010. UPI/Brendan Hoffman/Pool

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In this July 15, 2010, file photo President Obama speaks to reporters outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. On Thursday, July 22, 2010, Mr. Obama signed into law the "Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act," which he said will reduce waste and fraud in government spending. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

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** FILE ** U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act at the Ronald Reagan Building, July 21, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Also pictured (L-R) are Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA). (UPI/Win McNamee/Pool)

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President Barack Obama greets Paul Volcker, Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, after Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection financial reform bill at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, July 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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President Barack Obama, left, points to Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., center, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., right, after signing the Dodd Frank-Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in a ceremony in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, Wednesday, July 21, 2010.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act before (L-R) Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) at the Ronald Reagan Building July 21, 2010 in Washington, DC. The bill is the strongest financial reform legislation since the Great Depression and also creates a consumer protection bureau that oversees banks on mortgage lending and credit card practices UPI/Win McNamee/Pool

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President Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke (left) speaks with former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker before President Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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President Obama speaks before he signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. At left is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)