美国国家公共电台 NPR--How a freshman congresswoman spent 4 days in limbo before she was sworn-in

How a freshman¹ congresswoman spent 4 days in limbo² before she was sworn-in

Transcript³

NPR's A Martinez talks to newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas of Oregon, about joining Congress following a hard-fought, expensive campaign against a Republican multimillionaire.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Freshman lawmakers got an early taste of legislative⁵ dysfunction earlier this month in the U.S. House of Representatives. They were sworn in four days later than anticipated as Republicans went through a historic 15 rounds of voting before finally selecting a House speaker.

ANDREA SALINAS: It was confusing, and it does not bode⁶ well, I feel like, for the rest of the session and Republicans being in charge.

MART?NEZ: That's freshman Representative Andrea Salinas, a Democrat⁴ from Oregon. She shared her thoughts on her first few chaotic⁷ days in Congress.

SALINAS: We were in limbo. I didn't know what I could actually work on in terms of my committee. It was a rough four days. We kept thinking, oh, we're going to turn a corner here. I think it's foretelling⁸ of the chaos⁹ that the Republican Party has sown so far. This demonstrates their inability to govern in a reasonable fashion.

MART?NEZ: What were your conversations, if you had any, with any Republicans in Congress?

SALINAS: The Republican Party, just like the Democratic Party, is not a monolith. And I know many were frustrated¹⁰ with 15 rounds of votes. I think many of them were happy with the way things turned out. This Republican Party will be beholden to the extreme far-rights who we saw were instrumental in the insurrection and were instrumental in causing chaos during the last legislative session and the transfer of power in the presidency¹¹. So I think it's a mixed bag.

MART?NEZ: Tell us what it was like sitting in the chamber¹², though. Were you, at any point, thinking, is this going to have a resolution?

SALINAS: Definitely. It puts, I feel like, the - not just the House of Representatives and us as individuals, but the entire country in a state of uncertainty¹³ when you don't really know what could happen next. I'm eager to get started on my committee assignments and start really working for the people of Oregon. But it was uncertain.

MART?NEZ: So just to be clear, what exactly could you do and what could you not do?

SALINAS: First off, I didn't know, and I still don't know, what my committee assignments are. I think a lot of the negotiations¹⁴ that were going back and forth¹⁵ with the Republicans, within their own caucus¹⁶, were around committee assignments and who would be placed on which committees. We are still left out of those conversations right now. And so I still don't really have my committee assignments, and I don't know where I can be most influential¹⁷. There are some things that are really important to my district, like the Farm Bill reauthorization, where I know they'll want me to make sure I influence that bill so that our specialty¹⁸ farms can get what they need. So there are things like that, which are critically important. It, you know, requires legislation. It requires work in the committees. And so that is something that I was not able to do and still can't. I still feel very hamstrung around that.

MART?NEZ: Considering the term of a House member is only two years - it's not like the Senate; Senate has six years. It's only four days, but, I mean, four days seems like a lot if you've only got two years.

SALINAS: That's right. And that's how I was feeling. As a freshman member, you really are low man on the totem pole. And a lot of this work is about relationships and making sure that people understand the importance of your issues and your district's issues to the other 434 members.

MART?NEZ: And I understand you had some family with you to watch you get sworn in. What did you tell them day after day after day when the swearing in didn't happen?

SALINAS: I had independent members of my family, Republicans, Democrats¹⁹, and they watched it unfold, like I was watching it. And I just kept telling them, we will only know by an hour-to-hour basis. We kept thinking perhaps the next vote, oh, this could be it. But a few of them were there till Friday morning, but not until Saturday morning. They had all gone home. So none of them saw me get sworn in. So it was certainly disappointing.

MART?NEZ: Did you have any dinner reservations at a place to celebrate? Did you have to keep putting them off? On a basic, basic level, Congresswoman, what are some of the things that maybe we don't know that you maybe had planned that you couldn't do because of the delay?

SALINAS: So my team was amazing, and we were prepared for a state of chaos and confusion. All of my family members, I think, were there the night before swearing in, and we did have a reservation. So I made sure that I could convene²⁰ with all of them. And, you know, it was a really emotional and, you know, personal time for me. My uncle from Texas, he brought me my grandfather's visa application and my grandmother's naturalization papers. He had those framed from when they came over from Mexico many, many years ago. So it was a very personal time for me and my family. But we did it the night before, knowing that there may not be time to celebrate. And so I gave them a tour that night of the Capitol - a private tour - and it was lovely.

MART?NEZ: And now that you are sworn in, what's your experience been like in those days that you're official?

SALINAS: It's been great. I'm back in the district now. I'm getting ready for some district meetings, which I'm really excited about, to make sure that I know exactly what it is that people want - you know, our city councilors, our mayors, county commissioners²¹, those types of meetings, and then starting to meet with some of our growers in the district and a lot of constituents²² because honestly, like, my goal this entire time has been to put people over politics. It will be about delivering. And so I feel like I'm a bit more equipped now to actually do that.

MART?NEZ: Tell us about the race that got you to D.C. in the first place. I mean, it just seemed, from the outside looking at that race, that it was a bruising²³ battle.

SALINAS: Oh, it was. The - you know, we had a really tough primary. I was up against nine Democrats in the primary, and one outspent me tremendously. And then the general election was also really tough. I had an opponent who was a self-funder, multimillionaire, and he spent a lot of money on his race as well. So both my primary and general were bruising. But the voters came forward and, you know, I won. And I think they want to see me, again, deliver for the people of this district.

MART?NEZ: You're one of the first Latinas elected to represent Oregon, and you recently got picked to serve as a freshman representative in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. How significant are markers like those for you?

SALINAS: Oh, they're huge. I'm part of the Latino community and have been working with our community for a number of years and making sure that I deliver here, at the state level, in Oregon. And I think there are - there's a lot of work to be done across the nation right now for Latinos. And so I'm eager - yes, and you are correct. This district is 20% Latino. It's the largest Latino district in Oregon. And to have a Latina representing this district is vitally important to making sure that we have a voice at the table. So I'm excited to make sure I help to lead this community at the national level.

MART?NEZ: That's freshman Representative Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Oregon. Thank you very much.

SALINAS: Thank you, A. Take care.

(SOUNDBITE OF MENAHAN STREET BAND'S "HOME AGAIN")

1 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

2 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

3 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。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 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。

6 bode   

v.预示

参考例句：

• These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
• His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 foretelling   

v.预言，预示( foretell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Are you calling or foretelling? 你是否在召唤或者预言？ 来自互联网
• If the conclusion is right, there will be an important complement for the novel's foretelling ways. 这一结论如果成立，将是对《红楼梦》预示手法的一个重要补充。 来自互联网

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

12 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

13 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

17 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

18 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

19 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》

20 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

21 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

22 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 bruising   

adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式)

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow. 他滑倒了，一只胳膊肘严重擦伤。 来自辞典例句