Congress passes $1.1T spending bill

US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, holds a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB / AFP / SAUL LOEB

The US Congress overwhelmingly passed the $1.15 trillion omnibus spending measure that contained $572.7 billion for defense in a succession of votes in the House and Senate on Friday.