美国国家公共电台 NPR--Lawmakers have a lot on their agenda as Congress returns from a 2-week recess

Lawmakers have a lot on their agenda as Congress returns from a 2-week recess¹

Transcript²

House Republicans are drafting legislation to avoid a default on the nation's credit limit. Senators face a possible vote on temporarily replacing ailing³ Sen. Dianne Feinstein on a judiciary panel.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Congress returns from a two-week recess today, and lawmakers have a lot on their agenda. House Republicans are drafting legislation to avoid a default on the nation's credit limit. Senators face a possible vote on temporarily replacing ailing Senator Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee. And NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh is here to talk about all of this. Good morning.

DEIRDRE WALSH, BYLINE⁴: Good morning.

FADEL: OK, so let's start with the debt limit negotiations⁵. They've been stalled for months, but Speaker McCarthy is giving a speech this morning. What should we expect to hear from him?

WALSH: Well, the speaker is focusing on the economy in his speech at the New York Stock Exchange today. According to a source familiar with his remarks, he's going to outline the House Republicans' approach to increasing the debt ceiling and explain why Republicans believe raising it with no changes to the country's fiscal⁶ trajectory⁷, in their view, is not the right decision. President Biden continues to say Congress should pass a clean bill to boost the country's borrowing authority. And the president wants to see a GOP budget before having more negotiations with McCarthy.

But instead, McCarthy's moving ahead with his own bill. The Republican bill is expected to cap federal spending levels at those from two years ago. They also plan to add a provision that would put work requirements in place for adults without dependents who receive any federal food assistance benefits. Republicans also want to add reforms to how new energy projects are permitted. But even if this Republican bill can get through the House, it's not going to move in the Democratic-controlled Senate. And the country is going to run out of borrowing authority sometime this summer.

FADEL: Let's talk about Dianne Feinstein now, from California. She's 89, hasn't voted since February after a shingles⁹ diagnosis¹⁰. And Democrats¹¹ say her absence is a problem. They called on her to resign because they say it's stalling confirmation¹² of President Biden's judicial¹³ nominees¹⁴. She's not resigning but asking to be temporarily replaced on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Could that happen this week?

WALSH: It could. The Senate Majority leader, Chuck Schumer, plans to ask the Senate this week to add another Democrat⁸ to take Feinstein's place on the Judiciary Committee. Like you said, without her vote on that panel, the president's judicial nominees are effectively stalled and not getting votes on the Senate floor. But putting another Democrat on that committee would require Republican support. Republicans have had their own issues with absences due to medical issues. The top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, is coming back to work today. He fell in early March and missed votes because he's been recovering from a concussion¹⁵. But any vote to replace Feinstein is going to need 60 votes in the Senate. Democrats have just a 51-49 majority there.

FADEL: Now, lawmakers - while they were in recess, a lot happened. Former President Trump¹⁶ was indicted¹⁷ on criminal charges, and federal courts ruled to restrict abortion¹⁸ medication. Are these expected to be issues they deal with this week?

WALSH: They are. I mean, in terms of Trump, today, the House Judiciary Committee is holding a field hearing in New York City, zeroing in on Alvin Bragg. He's the New York prosecutor¹⁹ who brought the criminal charges involving hush²⁰ money payments paid by Trump to an adult film star. The chairman, Jim Jordan, has already been investigating Bragg. And today, he's inviting²¹ witnesses who are going to outline their criticisms of Bragg's record on crime. Democrats on that panel are planning an aggressive pushback, arguing that crime has actually gone down under Bragg's tenure²².

On abortion, that lower court action really puts abortion back front and center in the political debate on Capitol Hill. Democrats believe the backlash to the Supreme²³ Court overturning Roe²⁴ v. Wade²⁵ last year really helped them keep control of the Senate in the midterms and stave off major losses in the House. So Democrats are planning hearings on the issue. Some have proposed legislation that protects abortion medications' approval by the FDA. Republicans have been mostly silent about the issue. There's been a lot of divisions about how they should respond. And another topic that will come up this week is the leak investigation²⁶. We're expecting a closed briefing on that issue midweek.

FADEL: NPR's Deirdre Walsh. Thanks, Deirdre.

WALSH: Thanks, Leila.

1 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

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 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

8 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。

9 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

10 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

11 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》

12 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

13 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

14 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

15 concussion   

n.脑震荡；震动

参考例句：

• He was carried off the field with slight concussion.他因轻微脑震荡给抬离了现场。
• She suffers from brain concussion.她得了脑震荡。

16 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

17 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

18 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

19 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

20 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

21 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

22 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

23 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

24 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

25 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

26 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。