布什讨论国家立法日程(2008-06-26)

THE PRESIDENT: The 4th of July is fast approaching, and Democratic leaders in Congress have scheduled another recess¹. Americans are concerned that Congress may leave town with a lot of important business that hasnt been completed.

Before they leave, the Congress needs to pass an emergency war funding bill, so that our troops on the frontlines have the tools they need to protect themselves and us. The House passed a good bill, and now the Senate needs to act.

 Before they leave, Congress needs to give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to act quickly and effectively to monitor foreign terrorist communications so we can stop any new attack. The House passed a good, very good bipartisan bill, and the Senate needs to act.

Before they leave, the Senate needs to make progress on the enormous backlog² of nominations³ that theyve held up. Many of these nominations are for vital positions affecting our courts, our economy, our public safety, and our national security. Every day that these nominees⁴ are delayed makes it harder for the government to meet its responsibilities, and the Senate needs to act right away.

Now, when they come back, when they get off their recess, the Democratic Congress needs to act on critical issues that theyve failed to address. One such issue is housing legislation. The Congress needs to come together and pass responsible housing legislation to help more Americans keep their homes.

Another area of concern for the American citizens is the price of gasoline. And one way to relieve the price of gasoline is to expand domestic production of crude oil here at home. The Congress failed to act on this measure, and they got to when they come back.

And finally, the Congress needs to act when it comes to the Colombia free trade agreement. This is a good deal for our economy. It will help our economy grow and to strong -- support our friend and ally in the neighborhood, Colombia.

Im -- I asked the Democratic leaders to make the last two days before their recess productive. I, of course, wish the members to have a great 4th of July week, and Im looking forward to working with them to address critical issues facing our nation when they return.

Thank you.

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 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

3 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

4 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