Congressional Democrats say they have reached agreement with the White House on a deal to give U.S. automakers billions of dollars in loans and require the companies to restructure to stay competitive in the global marketplace. Although the deal has wide support in the House of Representatives, but its fate remains unclear in the Senate, where Republicans say the measure does not go far enough to force the industry to reform.
美国国会的民主党议员说，他们与白宫就出资帮助美国汽车工业的问题达成了一致，由联邦政府向三大汽车公司提供140亿美元的贷款，同时要求这些陷入困境的公司进行企业重组，从而在全球市场上保持各自的竞争力。尽管在众议院，拯救汽车工业的计划得到广泛支持，但是在参议院，有关计划的命运尚不明朗，因为共和党的一些参议员认为，目前的拯救计划并不足以推动汽车工业进行改革。
The proposal would make $14 billion in loans immediately available to General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford to help shore up the beleaguered automakers through March. The loans would come from already-appropriated money.
根据这项计划，联邦政府将立即向积弱不振的通用、克莱斯勒和福特3家汽车制造公司发放140亿美元的紧急贷款，帮助这三大汽车公司至少维持到明年3月。这笔钱将来自已经划拨的资金。
In return, by the end of March the companies would have to submit a restructuring plan to achieve long-term viability and international competitiveness.
作为贷款条件，三大汽车公司必须在明年3月底之前拿出一套企业重组计划，以取得长期的生存能力和国际竞争力。
Some Senate Republicans were quick to express their opposition to the plan. They argue that giving automakers money first and then demanding that they restructure is the wrong approach.
一些共和党参议员立即表示反对这个计划。他们争辩说，先给这些汽车公司钱，然后再要求他们重组，这种做法是错误的。
Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama is among several Republicans who are vowing to block the bill from advancing in the Senate.
来自阿拉巴马州的理查德.谢尔比参议员就是持反对意见的共和党人之一。他坚决地表示要阻止有关法案在参议院获得通过。
"Unless Chrysler, Ford and General Motors become lean and innovative and competitive in the marketplace, this is only delaying their funeral," he said.
他说：“除非克莱斯勒、福特和通用汽车精简、创新并在市场具有竞争力，这种做法不过是为他们推迟举行葬礼而已。”
But Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the state where the automakers are based, warns that if one or more of the companies go bankrupt, millions of jobs would be lost - further harming a U.S. economy, which is already in recession.
但是来自美国汽车工业基地密西根州的民主党参议员黛比.斯塔班诺警告说，三大汽车公司只要有一家破产，就将导致数以百万计的工人失去工作，这对已经陷入衰退的美国经济来说是雪上加霜。
"This is more than just penalizing a company that you are mad at. This is about the underpinnings of our economy, and fundamentally whether we are going to compete with every other country and make things in an advanced, manufacturing economy," said Stabenov.
她说：“这将远远超过惩罚一个你感到不满的公司。这关系到我国经济的根基。从根本上讲，这关系到我们能否跟其他国家竞争，能否使一个先进的制造业经济起死回生。”
At the White House, Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan says President Bush would be in touch with individual Republican lawmakers to win their support for the plan.
在白宫，副幕僚长乔尔.卡普兰说，布什总统会与一些共和党议员保持接触，以便赢得他们对汽车业拯救计划的支持。
"We wanted to make sure that it was tough and that this was not a bridge financing to nowhere, that we could look these members in the eye, and we could look the American people in the eye and say that this measure gives these companies a chance and their stakeholders a chance, but its not a lifeline to continue with bad management and a bad business plan," said Kaplan.
他说：“我们要让他们确信，这的确很困难，但这并不是一座财务奈何桥。我们要面对这些议员、面对美国人民说：这个措施会给这些公司一个机会，给它们的持股人一个机会，但这并不是一个让他们继续进行糟糕的管理和继续糟糕的商业计划的救命稻草。”
The plan also calls for the president to appoint a so-called "car czar", someone to oversee the loans and monitor the companies' progress toward reforming.
这项计划还要求总统任命一位“汽车总管”，监督贷款的使用和公司的改革进度。 |