美国国家公共电台 NPR--Defense bill includes funds to improve military housing, repair training facilities

Defense¹ bill includes funds to improve military housing, repair training facilities

Transcript²

The annual defense bill up for a vote in the Senate addresses housing, pay and other quality of life issues for military members. It also drops a COVID-19 vaccination³ mandate⁴.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The Senate is preparing to vote on the annual defense bill. Now, this year's bill includes items such as pay raises for service members and addresses issues around substandard housing. It'll also change how the military prosecutes⁵ sexual harassment⁶ and assault cases and also do away with a COVID vaccine⁷ mandate. NPR politics reporter Ximena Bustillo is here with more. All right, can - start off by telling us more about how this funding will help improve some of the quality-of-life issues faced by service members.

XIMENA BUSTILLO, BYLINE⁸: Lawmakers say that about $18 billion are expected to go towards building and fixing military housing, child care centers and training facilities. Here's Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff talking about why this funding is important and what it could address.

JON OSSOFF: Too many of our service members live in decrepit⁹ barracks facilities that have not been adequately maintained, that are moldy¹⁰ and, in some cases, dangerous to live in. Too many of our military families drop their kids off at aging child care centers. Too many of our military service members have to carry out vital training and operations at aging and inadequate¹¹ facilities on our bases.

BUSTILLO: This money could include repairs to roads, utilities, pavement and structural¹² deficiency of wharfs¹³ and barracks. And the legislation also directs a 4.6 pay raise.

MART?NEZ: All right, now in addition to addressing how they live, it's also going address how they eat.

BUSTILLO: Yes. So 1 in 6 military and veteran families were experiencing food insecurity or hunger in 2021, according to a Military Family Advisory¹⁴ Network survey. And this bill specifically - it expands the basic need allowance that they receive by raising the income eligibility¹⁵ limit to 150% of the poverty level, which is an increase from the current 130% limit. So the idea is more people could qualify. It also allows the secretary of defense to expand eligibility to households making less than 200% of the federal poverty level under certain circumstances.

MART?NEZ: Now, finally, there is also health care-related benefits for federal emergency responders who are included under this legislation. Ximena, tell us about those provisions.

BUSTILLO: Sure. One definitely comes to mind. So currently, Forest Service and Interior Department firefighters don't have the same job-related disability and retirement¹⁶ benefits as many of their state and civilian¹⁷ counterparts. Those benefits would help cover them if they develop lung cancer or other diseases. One part of the bill changes this for about 10,000 workers. In order to receive disability benefits, federal firefighters are required to go through a really long claims process to get federal worker's compensation and retirement benefits. That includes paperwork, witnesses and a lot of red tape, even though there's a long history of many diseases being connected to firefighting.

Here's Riva Duncan, executive secretary of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an advocacy group that has been pushing for higher pay and benefits.

RIVA DUNCAN: Most people don't even bother with the claim because it's just, it's so hard, so time-consuming, and they're rarely ever accepted that most people don't bother. They just do a GoFundMe fundraiser.

BUSTILLO: This also comes at a time when the wildland firefighters are facing really big retention¹⁸ issues, in large part because of missing health protections or pay shortages. Federal wildland firefighters are the first line of defense in - on all public lands, but they are also at the ready to back up local and state forces at a moment's notice. So this backup and bolster¹⁹ in health care and in health benefits is kind of a big deal here.

MART?NEZ: NPR's politics reporter Ximena Bustillo, thanks a lot.

BUSTILLO: Thank you.

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 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

4 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

5 prosecutes   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的第三人称单数 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• In Great Britain, the Attorney General prosecutes for the Grown in certain cases. 在英国，检察总长在某些案件中代表王室进行公诉。 来自口语例句

6 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

7 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 decrepit   

adj.衰老的，破旧的

参考例句：

• The film had been shot in a decrepit old police station.该影片是在一所破旧不堪的警察局里拍摄的。
• A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.一个衰弱的老人坐在公园的长凳上。

10 moldy   

adj.发霉的

参考例句：

• She chucked the moldy potatoes in the dustbin.她把发霉的土豆扔进垃圾箱。
• Oranges can be kept for a long time without going moldy.橙子可以存放很长时间而不腐烂。

11 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

12 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

13 wharfs   

码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• Meanwhile, technological renovation of multi-purpose wharfs at various ports will be accelerated. 同时加快港口多用途码头的技术改造。 来自互联网
• At present there are many wharfs with sheet-pile framework in China. 目前国内已建有许多采用板桩结构的码头。 来自互联网

14 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

15 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

16 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

17 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

18 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

19 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。