Deal Announced to End Budget Impasse at US Aviation Agency
联邦航空局预算陷入僵局
Another political standoff in Washington appears to be over. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid announced Thursday that lawmakers have agreed to approve an emergency budget for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Due to a partisan budget issue, more than 4,000 FAA workers were out of work for the last two weeks -- waiting for Congress to pass the aviation authority's budget.
由于两党之间的预算争端，过去两周，4,000多名联邦航空局工作人员失业——等待国会通过航空部门的预算。
Laid off worker Patricia Henn accused lawmakers of leaving Washington for the summer without approving their checks. "Congress did fail to pass our authorization. We rely on Congress to authorize the FAA to do our job," Henn said.
被解雇的员工Patricia Henn指控立法人员未通过航空部门的预算就离开华盛顿度假。“国会确实未通过航空部门的预算。我们依赖国会授权联邦航空局恢复我们的工作。”
At issue was a plan to cut government subsidies and union bargaining rights at rural airports. Republicans argued the cuts would save the government $16 million dollars a year. But Democrats said the plan unfairly targeted small communities. Besides lost wages, estimates show the standoff cost the government $30 million a day in lost airline taxes.
有争议的是削减政府补助的计划和乡村机场工会的谈判权利。共和党辩称该削减计划每年可以为政府节约1600万美元。但是民主党认为该计划不公平地针对小型团体。除了导致员工没有工资之外，评估显示，目前的僵局导致政府每天失去3000万美元的航空税收。
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood practically begged lawmakers this week to come back. "Come back to Washington! Leave your vacations just for a couple of hours! Come back Congress, help your friends and neighbors get back to work," he said.
美国交通部长拉胡德(Ray LaHood)几乎请求立法人员本周返回华盛顿。“请回到华盛顿！暂时离开你的假期，哪怕几个小时的时间！回到国会，帮助你们的朋友和邻居回到工作岗位。”
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (file photo)
It seems lawmakers were listening. Late Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Democrats and Republicans had struck a temporary deal to allow FAA workers to be paid.
立法人员似乎正在倾听人们的呼声。周四晚些时候，参议院多数派领袖里德宣布民主党和共和党达成临时协议，允许联邦航空局工作人员领取薪资。
But some say the damage is done. Some workers accuse Congress of playing with their livelihoods.
但是一些人表示，伤害已经造成。一些工人指控国会拿他们的生计开玩笑。
"Everyone wants to play hardball and the hardball hurt us," said Tim Rickford, a Cleveland airport worker.
“每个人都想玩硬式棒球，但是硬式棒球会伤害我们。”克里夫兰机场工作人员Tim Rickford说。
While few details are available, the budget compromise comes after increasing pressure from President Barack Obama.
尽管相关细节消息很少，然而该预算折中案是由于奥巴马总统不断增加压力。
"This is an example of a self-inflicted wound that is unnecessary, and my expectation - and I think the American people's expectation - is that this gets resolved before the end of this week," the president said.
“这是不必要的自我引起的伤害的反面教材。我的期望，美国人民的期望是，这个问题能在本周结束之前解决。”
Failure to reach a compromise until lawmakers returned from their summer recess in September would have shut down hundreds of airport construction projects. Besides millions in lost wages, estimates suggest a prolonged FAA stalemate would have cost the government about $1.3 billion dollars in lost revenue.
立法者在九月份结束假期之前未达成折中案将导致数百个机场建设项目停止。除了导致工人失去薪资之外，评估显示，联邦航空局长期陷入僵局将导致政府收入损失13亿美元。 |