美国国家公共电台 NPR--Republicans take control of the House in this new session of Congress

Republicans take control of the House in this new session of Congress

Transcript¹

A new Congress begins Jan.3 and with it a new chapter in divided government. A look at what to expect in the year ahead.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Today, a new Congress begins, and Republicans take charge of the House. Democrats² keep the Senate and, of course, the White House. NPR political correspondent Susan Davis reports on what to expect when you're expecting divided government.

SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE³: One of the challenges President Biden faces with a new Republican House majority - he doesn't know them all that well.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEVIN MCCARTHY: Since becoming president, we haven't met often. Look. I can work with anybody. We want to make sure our country's successful.

DAVIS: That was presumptive Speaker Kevin McCarthy following his first private meeting with Biden after the election. McCarthy used the meeting to invite Biden to take a trip with him to the U.S.-Mexico border and to make it clear that there will be a new check on his power, particularly on issues like immigration.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MCCARTHY: I think the administration got an indication it's going to be different.

DAVIS: Divided government isn't known for legislative⁴ output, at least in modern times. When Republicans took control of Congress during the Obama administration, it resulted in one of the least productive eras in congressional history. But the country seems to prefer it. Divided government has been the norm in more years than unified⁵ party control since at least the Reagan era. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has long framed divided government as an opportunity to try to solve big problems, as he did back in 2014 after Republicans took control of the Senate.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MITCH MCCONNELL: When the American people choose divided government, I don't think it means they don't want us to do anything. I think it means they want us to look for areas of agreement.

DAVIS: Molly Reynolds is a nonpartisan congressional scholar with the Brookings Institution. She does not forecast any major legislative breakthroughs in the near future. The parties are just too polarized, she says, and it will be hard enough for Republicans to remain unified with their narrow four-seat majority.

MOLLY REYNOLDS: One reason that House majorities fail to accomplish their agendas is because of divisions within the party before we even get to divisions between the parties.

DAVIS: Reynolds said the to-do list is most likely to include what she called the basic responsibilities of governing, like passing spending bills to avoid government shutdowns and raising the nation's borrowing limit to avoid an unprecedented⁶ debt default.

REYNOLDS: We should not have high expectations for it being especially legislatively⁷ productive.

DAVIS: North Carolina Republican Congressman⁸ Patrick McHenry will chair the Financial Services Committee. He said voters send this message to Republicans in the 2022 election.

PATRICK MCHENRY: Let's be serious. Let's focus on the big things. Actually, I think what they said to both parties is, stop being crazy, and stop being stupid.

DAVIS: He said his priority is to steer⁹ his committee towards tangible¹⁰ bipartisan policies, like boosting small businesses.

MCHENRY: Divided government can create lasting¹¹ policy changes. It's just hard to come by.

DAVIS: California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said if Republicans focus on economic bills, like the recent bipartisan CHIPS Act to increase domestic production of semiconductors¹², they're most likely to find bipartisan cooperation with Democrats like him.

RO KHANNA: We need to focus on the issues that people care about - how we're going to bring manufacturing back, how we're going to make America the strongest economy.

DAVIS: Cross-party relations have been at a low point in recent years, especially following the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Khanna said many lawmakers will need to put those feelings aside if there's any hope of legislating¹³.

KHANNA: It has been a toxic¹⁴ environment, but my philosophy is if something will advance the interests of America, if something is going to help the American people, I'll put aside the personal acrimony to work on that.

DAVIS: That might be hard with Republicans planning to launch a number of investigations¹⁵ into the Biden administration, including the president's family and their business ties.

Susan Davis, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 legislatively   

adv.立法地

参考例句：

• Indeed, experience with the legislatively imposed hybrid procedures has not been encouraging. 的确，立法规定的混合型程序的经历并不令人感到鼓舞。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• The criminal pattern kidnapping and killing the kidnapped person is contained and aggravated crime legislatively. 从犯罪形态来看，“杀害被绑架人”的立法属于包容加重犯。 来自互联网

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

10 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

12 semiconductors   

n.半导体( semiconductor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Crystals may be insulators, semiconductors, or conductors. 晶体可以是绝缘体，半导体，或导体。 来自辞典例句
• Semiconductors containing such impurities are called p-type semiconductors. 含有这类杂质的半导体叫做P型半导体。 来自辞典例句

13 legislating   

v.立法，制定法律( legislate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? 为什么那些议员们做在那里不立法？ 来自互联网
• From legislating and protecting peasant's interests organizationally. " 从立法和组织上保护农民利益。 来自互联网

14 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

15 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。