Obama and his family flew back into the Washington area aboard Air Force One
US President Barack Obama has returned with his family to Washington DC to face a bulging in-tray after winning a second term in office.
The Obamas flew from their Chicago base, arriving at Andrews Air Force Base about 18:30 (23:30 GMT).
He needs to work with Republicans in Congress to confront a looming "fiscal cliff" of tax rises and spending cuts.
The Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, but failed to take the Senate.
In his state-by-state battle with Republican Mitt Romney, Mr Obama has so far won 303 electoral college votes to Mr Romney's 206, past the 270-vote winning post.
In Florida, a state with 29 electoral votes, absentee ballots are still being counted and the race remains too close to call.
Before Mr Obama's Washington return on Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner hinted at the possibility of a compromise if the president agreed to tax reform.
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303
OBAMA
206
ROMNEY
- California 55
- Colorado 9
- Connecticut 7
- District of Colombria 3
- Delaware 3
- Hawaii 4
- Iowa 6
- Illinois 20
- Massachusetts 11
- Maryland 10
- Maine 4
- Michigan 16
- Minnesota 10
- New Hampshire 4
- New Jersey 14
- New Mexico 5
- Nevada 6
- New York 29
- Ohio 18
- Oregon 7
- Pennsylvania 20
- Rhode Island 4
- Virginia 13
- Vermont 3
- Washington 12
- Wisconsin 10
- Alaska 3
- Alabama 9
- Arkansas 6
- Arizona 11
- Georgia 16
- Idaho 4
- Indiana 11
- Kansas 6
- Kentucky 8
- Louisiana 8
- Missouri 10
- Mississippi 6
- Montana 3
- North Carolina 15
- North Dakota 3
- Nebraska 5
- Oklahoma 7
- South Carolina 9
- South Dakota 3
- Tennessee 11
- Texas 38
- Utah 6
- West Virginia 5
- Wyoming 3
270 to win
Mr Boehner, who negotiated with Mr Obama over a so-called "grand bargain" of spending cuts and new revenues in 2011, said he would accept new revenue-raising as part of a tax reform deal.
Time is tight: Bush-era tax cuts are due to expire at the end of 2012, and automatic, mandatory across-the-board cuts to military and domestic spending are also in the pipeline unless a deal can be reached.
Economists say the overall effect of falling off the "fiscal cliff" could tip the US into recession.
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