VOA常速英语2013--聚焦华盛顿: 关注美国政府关闭,美国债务上限（在线收听）

Washington Week: All Eyes on Government Shutdown, US Debt Ceiling 聚焦华盛顿: 关注美国政府关闭,美国债务上限

WASHINGTON — A partial U.S. government shutdown is heading into a second week with no end in sight. Partisan rhetoric in Washington is becoming more strident by the day, with major political players sticking to hardened stances that seem to offer little short-term hope of resuming federal funding.

Democrats and Republicans both insist it is up to the other to end Washington’s political stalemate. President Barack Obama says congressional Republicans must allow a vote on a no-strings funding bill.

民主党和共和党都将华盛顿的政治僵局归咎于对方，总统巴拉克·奥巴马称国会的共和党必须允许就无条件拨款法案进行表决。

Republicans say the stand-off stems from President Obama’s refusal to negotiate while the government remains closed. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor blames it on intransigence.

共和党称目前的僵局是因为总统奥巴马拒绝协商，而政府目前仍在关闭中。众议院多数派领袖埃里克·坎托将问题归咎于不妥协。

“That is not leadership. It is that attitude, that unwillingness to sit down and talk to us that has brought about this shutdown,” said Cantor.

“这与领导权无关，而是态度问题，对方不愿意坐下来与我们协商，这样政府就关门了。”

President Obama likens Republican demands to those of hostage-takers. “I will not pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly will not pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling,” he said.

总统奥巴马将共和党的要求比作人质劫持者的要求，“我不愿意为政府开门而支付赎金，我当然不愿意为了提高债务限额而支付赎金。”

Frustrations have reached a boiling point. House Speaker John Boehner voiced his discontent. “This is not some damn game. The American people do not want their government shut down, and neither do I,” said Boehner.

挫折感已经达到最高点，众议院议长约翰·博纳表达自己的不满，“这并不是游戏，美国人民不希望政府关门，我也不希望。”

Saturday, the House of Representatives voted to retroactively pay all federal workers once the shutdown ends. But government employees do not know when paychecks will resume, prompting demands for congressional action.

周六众议院投票决定，所有联邦员工的薪水将在国会恢复拨款后到位。但政府雇员们不知道薪水何时发放，他们要求国会有所作为。

“I have a family to take care of, and it is real to me and you are affecting me, and it is hard,” said Tracey School, a federal worker.

联邦员工Tracey School说，“我有一家子要养活，如果影响到我，那么我会很艰难的。”

The shutdown impasse could be overshadowed by another looming fiscal crisis: the need to raise the federal borrowing limit. The United States risks a debt default and a credit downgrade unless Congress agrees to raise the debt ceiling next week. 

与另一场即将来临的财政危机相比，关门僵局似乎不算什么，这场危机就是提高联邦政府的借债限额。除非国会同意下周提高借债限额，那么美国将面临债务违约和信用降级的风险。