U.S. core defense budget rises despite fiscal constraint

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. "base" defense¹ budget（预算） -- excluding the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- for the next fiscal² year rises to a new record despite a significant（重大的） reduction in overall federal spending.
    The "base" defense budget for FY 2012 beginning Oct. 1 reaches 553.1 billion dollars, according to a defense budget blueprint³ released by the Pentagon. This represents an increase of 4.2 billion dollars from the level the Obama administration requested for FY 2011.
    However, Obama's budget request for FY 2011 has never been approved by Congress, and the federal government, including the Pentagon, is now operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) which is due to expire on March. 4.
    The latest budget request for the Pentagon represents an even larger increase when compared with the enacted⁴ level of FY 2010, which totaled 527.9 billion dollars.
    Separate from the core defense budget, the Obama administration also asks for 117.8 billion dollars to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is 41.5 billion dollars below the FY 2011 request of 159.3 billion.
    The latest war funding reflects the planned withdrawal⁵ of troops from Iraq by the end of this year and a modest（谦虚的） decline in funding for Afghanistan operations, according to the Pentagon.
    The Obama administration has planned to pull out of troops from Iraq by the end of 2011 and start to withdraw from Afghanistan in July 2011.
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed concern about the funding for the Pentagon through the remaining of the current fiscal year, saying there are still "quarrels on the Capitol Hill. "Presenting the administration's defense spending proposal at a Pentagon briefing, the secretary said he is willing to compromise with Congress on a pared-down defense budget, but it cannot be less than 540 billion dollars, nearly 9 billion dollars less than the White House first requested.
    The new budget also emphasizes long-term plan to trim defense spending. Through personnel changes, military healthcare reform and streamlining of the department organization, the Pentagon aims to reduce defense spending by 78 billion dollars over the next five years.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

4 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。