美国国家公共电台 NPR--House Republicans put together a measure to reflect debt ceiling deal

House Republicans put together a measure to reflect debt ceiling deal

Transcript¹

House GOP leaders released the outcome of the deal, a 99-page bill, entitled the Fiscal² Responsibility Act, giving House members 72 hours to review the proposal before a planned vote Wednesday.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden agreed on a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We've reached a bipartisan budget agreement that we're ready to move to the full Congress.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

And it needs to pass Congress by next week. If approved, the measure would suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling until January of 2025.

MART?NEZ: NPR's Ximena Bustillo is here to tell us more after a long week of staking out all the talks. Ximena, 99-page bill, lot of spending caps - what are Republicans saying will save money?

XIMENA BUSTILLO, BYLINE³: First, there are caps on nondefense expenditures⁴ to keep spending at current levels through 2024. Republicans also have a provision to limit annual growth on spending to 1% in 2025. Here's Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina who has been one of McCarthy's top negotiators.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PATRICK MCHENRY: We hold vets⁵ harmless. So this means that for nondefense, nonveteran spending, there is - or there are significant cuts year over year.

BUSTILLO: The bill would also claw back unspent COVID funding, such as money for vaccine⁶ distribution and pandemic response aid for industries like railroads and agriculture. It also takes back money appropriated to the IRS for staffing new agents. The measure reached efforts towards permitting reform that both sides were looking for and puts an end to the pause on student loan repayment⁷ and interests, which would restart around August 30.

MART?NEZ: I know work requirements were a top red line for both parties. What turned out to be the final compromise?

BUSTILLO: Currently, so-called able-bodied adults without dependents on food stamps and Medicaid are subject to work reporting requirements until they are 50 years old, and Republicans wanted to increase that to 55. Now, the deal brokered⁸ by the White House and top GOP negotiators does a bit less than what Republicans hoped for. It made no changes to Medicaid. For food stamps, it does raise the age limit for work reporting requirements to 54, not 55. And lawmakers plan to phase this in over the course of three years and end the policy in 2030. The bill would also create new permanent exemptions⁹ that get rid of work requirements for young adults ages 18 to 24 aging out of foster care and all veterans and those experiencing homelessness, regardless of age. So these exemptions, which expand access to the programs, would also end in 2030.

A Republican aide told me that they expect the overall number of people now subject to work requirements to be lower than what the original GOP proposal would have done because of the phase-in and the exemptions. I asked President Biden what his response was to Democrats¹⁰ being concerned that this policy could lead to more people going hungry because of the age limit increase, and he said that was a ridiculous assertion.

MART?NEZ: OK. Now, I know last Friday, the Treasury¹¹ Department said June 5 - that's a week from today - as the date the country would default. Will that be averted¹² now?

BUSTILLO: There's still a long road to passage, but Biden and McCarthy keep saying that they're confident they will get their members on board. Here's President Biden talking to reporters last night.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BIDEN: That agreement now goes to the United States House and to the Senate. I strongly urge both chambers¹³ to pass that agreement.

BUSTILLO: The timeline to avoid a default remains¹⁴ tight. McCarthy has vowed¹⁵ that House members would get 72 hours to review any legislation before a vote. The bill text released last night starts that clock. So the soonest a vote can come is May 31, five days before the country is set to default on its loans. After that, the bill would head to the Senate for a vote on final passage and then to the president to sign.

MART?NEZ: All right. That's NPR's Ximena Bustillo. Thanks for breaking all this down.

BUSTILLO: 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 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。

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 expenditures   

n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费

参考例句：

• We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了，下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

8 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

9 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

10 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》

11 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。

12 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

13 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。