2016: The Year in Washington (45 images)

President Barack Obama attends the bill signing ceremony for the 21st Century Cures Act in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on December 13. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

President Barack Obama smiles as he finishes his last annual end-of-the-year press conference in the Brady Press Romm at the White House on December 16. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) participates in his portrait unveiling ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on December 8. Reid is retiring at the end of this session of Congress. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reacts as President Barack Obama reaches to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on November 22. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI