美国国家公共电台 NPR--House Speaker McCarthy outlines plan to lift the nation's credit limit for a year

House Speaker McCarthy outlines plan to lift the nation's credit limit for a year

Transcript¹

Kevin McCarthy unveiled his demands to negotiate with President Biden but so far talks have stalled. If Congress fails to raise the debt limit, the economic consequences could be dire².

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A top priority for Congress is tackling a looming³ deadline on the debt ceiling.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy addressed the issue yesterday during a speech at the New York Stock Exchange.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEVIN MCCARTHY: Debt limit negotiations⁴ are an opportunity to examine our nation's finances.

MART?NEZ: But actual negotiations between McCarthy and the White House remain stalled.

FADEL: Here to talk us through this is NPR congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt. Hi, Barbara.

BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE⁵: Hi. Good morning.

FADEL: Good morning. So for starters, give us some context to the debt limit itself and how we got here.

SPRUNT: So zooming⁶ way out, the debt limit isn't about future spending. It's about meeting the cost of existing commitments the federal government has made. And it's something that can feel a bit like Groundhog Day because when the debt ceiling is approached, Congress has to address it in some way. And that's what's happening now. In January, the U.S. hit its debt limit. The Treasury⁷ Department employed what it calls extraordinary measures to essentially⁸ act as a Band-Aid for a couple of months. But that will run out in early summer. If Congress fails to raise the debt limit before then, it could lead to an unprecedented⁹ debt default.

FADEL: So a lot at stake here. McCarthy talked about this during his speech. And he called the debt a, quote, "ticking time bomb." What's his plan?

SPRUNT: Well, McCarthy said the House will vote in the coming weeks on a bill that would reduce federal spending levels to those in 2022, limit the growth of spending over the next 10 years to 1% annually¹⁰ and raise the debt limit into 2024, which I should point out could cause lawmakers to have to negotiate this whole thing again smack¹¹ dab¹² in the middle of the presidential primary season. McCarthy said House Republicans would also add work requirements for adults without dependents who are enrolled¹³ in various federal assistance programs, like food stamps. McCarthy was very careful to add that the bill wouldn't touch Social Security and Medicare, two programs that are very popular.

This speech comes as negotiations between the speaker and the president have stalled. The pair met in February. And McCarthy laid the blame for the impasse¹⁴ at Biden's feet. Biden has remained adamant¹⁵ that he wants to sign a clean debt ceiling bill, so one that's completely separate from any legislation on spending cuts. But it's worth noting that McCarthy is marking his first hundred days as speaker. And if we cast back to earlier this year, you'll remember there was a very long series of votes to secure enough support for him to become speaker. And one of the demands from lawmakers who initially¹⁶ withheld¹⁷ their support was that the House not vote on a standalone measure to lift the debt limit.

FADEL: Yeah. So McCarthy's walking a fine line with various GOP factions¹⁸ here, right?

SPRUNT: Well, it seems like something that could prove to be difficult for McCarthy. His slim majority means he can afford to lose only a handful of Republicans. And even if the bill were passed, it would still be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But the thinking is if it can pass the House, it might bring Biden back to the negotiating table.

FADEL: OK. So this is troubling, the two parties basically nowhere on what to do about the debt limit. What are Democrats¹⁹ saying?

SPRUNT: Well, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly said that Republicans should work alongside Democrats to avert²⁰ this crisis, which he points out they did under the Trump²¹ administration.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHUCK SCHUMER: The discussion about cuts belongs in the discussion about budget, not as a precondition for avoiding default.

SPRUNT: After McCarthy's speech, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement that the speaker didn't clearly outline an exact proposal, and said McCarthy is holding the economy hostage.

FADEL: NPR congressional reporter Barbara Sprunt. Barbara, thanks.

SPRUNT: Thank you.

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 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

4 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。

5 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。

6 zooming   

adj.快速上升的v.（飞机、汽车等）急速移动( zoom的过去分词 )；（价格、费用等）急升，猛涨

参考例句：

• Zooming and panning are navigational tools for exploring 2D and 3D information. 缩放和平移是浏览二维和三维信息的导航工具。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Panning and zooming, especially when paired together, create navigation difficulties for users. 对于用户来说，平移和缩放一起使用时，产生了更多的导航困难。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 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。

10 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

11 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

12 dab   

v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂

参考例句：

• She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时，两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。
• She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时，还给了一点土豆。

13 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

15 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

16 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

17 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

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 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

21 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。