美国国家公共电台 NPR McConnell Ready To 'Move On' From Obamacare Repeal, Others In GOP Say Not So Fast

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a wish for 2018 - bipartisanship. He says it's the only way forward. NPR congressional reporter Susan Davis and Kelsey Snell spoke² with McConnell today about everything from immigration and infrastructure³ to the Russia investigation⁴. The Republican leader acknowledges it will be difficult for the parties to work together heading toward midterm elections, but he says he's still hopeful even if that means changing House Speaker Paul Ryan's plans to cut entitlement spending. Here's part of Susan and Kelsey's conversation with Mitch McConnell.

MITCH MCCONNELL: This has not been a very bipartisan year (laughter). I hope in the new year we're going to pivot⁵ here and become more cooperative. Almost every other issue you can think of including immigration can't be done in one party only. The president's actually incentivized us by putting a time limit on the DACA program to come forward and see what we can agree to for not only a permanent change on that but also some other items as well. And there are constructive⁶ bipartisan discussions going on already. I put together a group with Senator Grassley, Senator Durbin and others to address that issue. And we have until March to do that, and I'm confident we will.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE⁷: Do you share the speaker's enthusiasm for trying to do entitlement reform, specifically welfare reform, next year?

MCCONNELL: It's hard for me to envision frankly⁸ being able to do any kind of entitlement changes if we can't do it on a bipartisan basis.

KEITH: You could use reconciliation⁹ again.

MCCONNELL: We could, but I think entitlement changes to be sustained almost always have to be bipartisan. And I don't think one party only entitlement changes is something I'm interested in doing. The House may have a different agenda. If our Democratic friends in the Senate want to join us to tackle any kind of entitlement reform, I'd be happy to take a look at it.

KEITH: So what does that mean if you're less interested in looking at that - maybe infrastructure other more bipartisan things?

MCCONNELL: Yeah, I think infrastructure's a big item. You mentioned immigration. We obviously have to address that. I'm pretty excited - actually kind of a dull topic to most people, but I'm pretty excited about a bipartisan revisitation of Dodd-Frank that came out of the banking¹⁰ committee.

KELSEY SNELL, BYLINE: Not on that list was health care, and yesterday the president said that the tax bill effectively repealed¹¹ Obamacare by zeroing out the mandate¹³. Does that mean that you guys are fully¹⁴ moving on now from any plans to dismantle¹⁵ the ACA?

MCCONNELL: I think the repeal¹² of the individual mandate takes the heart out of Obamacare. We want to steady the insurance markets if we can, and I think we'll probably be addressing that part of health care sometime next year.

SNELL: But the rest of it is not on your agenda or not on your...

MCCONNELL: Well, we obviously were unable to completely repeal and replace with a 52-48 Senate. We'll have to take a look at what that looks like with a 51-49 Senate. But I think we'll probably move on to other issues.

KEITH: The Senate Intelligence Committee is obviously continuing their Russia investigation. Regardless of how that ends, do you think that Congress needs to do something or anything next year in an election year to assure the American people that Russia or any country is not messing with their election?

MCCONNELL: Well, of course. And from the Senate's point of view, what we're taking a look at is what did happen. And what do we need to do? Your question, what do we need to do to make it less likely that happens in the future - I'm looking forward to a recommendation from them, and I'm hoping that it will be a bipartisan recommendation because if it breaks into pure partisanship¹, nobody's going to pay any attention to it.

KEITH: Would you like to see them conclude soon to give you time to figure out what those are?

MCCONNELL: I'd like to see them conclude when they get through (laughter).

KEITH: Are you confident President Trump's not going to fire Robert Mueller?

MCCONNELL: The only people that talk about that are the Democrats¹⁶. I must say, I thought it was not great judgment¹⁷ for the special counsel to hire people who were donors¹⁸ to Hillary Clinton. But I don't hear anybody at the White House or any Republicans and, you know, certainly not in the Senate calling for Mueller to be fired. It strikes to me that's sort of a Democratic effort to protect him from something he doesn't need to be protected from.

MARTIN: That was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking today with NPR's Susan Davis and Kelsey Snell.

1 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 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。

5 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

6 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

7 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。

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

11 repealed   

撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Labour Party repealed the Act. 工党废除了那项法令。
• The legislature repealed the unpopular Rent Act. 立法机关废除了不得人心的租借法案。

12 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。

13 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

15 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

16 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》

17 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

18 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》