美国国家公共电台 NPR Senate Takes First Step To Repeal Obamacare — So What's Next?

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

Well, just before 1:30 this morning, Senate Republicans completed the first step toward repealing² the Affordable³ Care Act. The Senate passed a budget resolution which sets the repeal¹ process in motion. It happened after seven hours of votes on amendments⁴, a ritual senators call the vote-a-rama. NPR's Ailsa Chang reports on the overnight political theater and the substance affecting millions of people lurking⁵ somewhere beyond it.

AILSA CHANG, BYLINE⁶: Best guess is the Senate is still several weeks away from repealing the Affordable Care Act. And Democrats⁷ went into Wednesday night with a messaging plan - use vote-a-rama to get Republicans on the record about what may come next. Here's how Chris Murphy of Connecticut described the strategy.

CHRIS MURPHY: We're going to figure out what parts of the Affordable Care Act they're going to preserve and what parts they're going to throw out. We're going to use votes tonight to try to divine what this secret replacement⁸ plan is.

CHANG: To that, Senate Republicans said whatever.

JOHN MCCAIN: Totally meaningless exercise.

CHANG: Or put another way by Republican John McCain of Arizona.

MCCAIN: Someday, some student of government trying to find the most boring subject ever - they will go back over these votes on vote-a-ramas.

CHANG: What McCain is getting at is this charming Senate tradition, the vote-a-rama, it's a wholly symbolic⁹ exercise. Senators are forcing each other to vote on amendments to a nonbinding budget resolution, one after another, for hours and hours. It's political theater, but McCain says he can't remember a single vote-a-rama ever being used against him.

MCCAIN: You can examine people's voting records and run against them. But when it's in a vote-a-rama, which has no impact as far as the lives of any American is concerned, it's ridiculous.

CHANG: But none of that stopped Democrats from making Republicans vote on amendments about Medicaid expansion or funding for rural hospitals or women's access to health care. The other side voted all these down. And Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said he didn't feel one bit uncomfortable.

BILL CASSIDY: It'll be uncomfortable if I have to sleep on a lumpy couch. But I'm a physician who's been on call, and I've slept many times on lumpy couches.

CHANG: But any appearance of Republican unity¹⁰ during vote-a-rama couldn't change the fact that they're nowhere near consensus¹¹ on how to replace the health care law. President-elect Donald Trump¹² promised in a press conference Wednesday that no repeal would happen without a replacement plan. But Republicans like Susan Collins of Maine say that means repeal can't happen until late February or March.

SUSAN COLLINS: I don't see any possibility of our being able to come up with a comprehensive reform bill that would replace Obamacare by the end of this month.

CHANG: Even so, Democrats know this is a train they cannot stop.

(SOUNDBITE OF GAVEL SOUNDING)

CHANG: As the night drew to a close, all Democrats could do was stage a protest. Senators aren't supposed to give speeches during a vote, but here was Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TAMMY DUCKWORTH: And for all those with pre-existing conditions...

CORY GARDNER: The Senate will be in order. Debate is not allowed during a vote.

DUCKWORTH: ...I stand on prosthetic legs to vote no.

GARDNER: The Senate will be in order.

CHANG: And here was Al Franken of Minnesota.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AL FRANKEN: I vote no on behalf of the more than 2.3...

GARDNER: Debate is not allowed during a vote.

FRANKEN: ...Million Minnesotans...

GARDNER: Debate is not allowed during a vote. Senate will be order.

FRANKEN: ...Who can no longer be discriminated¹³ against...

GARDNER: Senate will be in order, and the clerk will continue the roll.

FRANKEN: ...Because of the ACA.

CHANG: The House expects to take up the budget resolution Friday.

Ailsa Chang, NPR News, the Capitol.

(SOUNDBITE OF BOMBAY DUB ORCHESTRA'S "STRANGE CONSTELLATIONS")

1 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

2 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

5 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 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。

7 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》

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

9 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

10 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

11 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

12 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。

13 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？