2012: The Year in Washington, D.C. (83 images)

US Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) arrives as members of Congress applaud before US President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in front of a joint session of Congress on January 24, 2012 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. UPI/Saul Loeb/Pool

U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona in the House Chamber shortly before he made his State of the Union address to a joint session of congress and the American people in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 24, 2012 in Washington, DC. Giffords resigned her seat in congress to concentrate on recovering from her injuries from an assassination attempt last year. UPI/Pat Benic..

President Barack Obama jokingly mimics U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney's "not impressed" look while greeting members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team in the Oval Office of the White House on November 15, 2012 in Washington, DC. The Maroney look became famous when she did it on the podium accepting the silver medal in the Woman's Vault, an event she was heavily favored to win. UPI/Pete Sousa/White House

PBS supporter Laura Gentry holds a puppet as she take part in the Million Puppet March in Washington, DC on November 3, 2012. The bipartisan march was organized to show support for Public Broadcasting following Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's pledge to cut funding to PBS. UPI/Kevin Dietsch