VOA慢速英语2018 美国众议院议长宣布不再竞选（在线收听）

US House Speaker Announces His Retirement

Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, says he will not seek another term in Congress.

美国众议院议长保罗·瑞安（Paul Ryan）表示，他在国会将不会寻求连任。

Ryan is the top Republican Party lawmaker in the House. His announcement came as Congressional Republicans face worries over losing their majority in elections later this year.

瑞安是众议院职位最高的共和党议员。他宣布之际正值国会共和党人面临担忧今年晚些时候在中期选举中失去多数优势的时候。

All 435 members of the House are required to seek re-election every two years. Republicans currently hold 237 House seats. The Democratic Party controls 192 seats.

众议院所有435名议员每两年必须重新选举。共和党目前拥有237个众议院议席，民主党控制了192个议席。

Ryan joined a growing list of lawmakers who have decided against seeking re-election. Thirty-seven Republican House members are leaving office when their term ends in January 2019. On the Democratic side, 17 House members chose not to seek another term.

瑞安加入了越来越多已经决定不寻求连任的议员行列。有37名共和党众议员将在2019年1月任期届满时离职。民主党方面有17位众议院选择不再寻求连任。

The Democratic Party was more popular among likely voters in recent opinion studies. The survey data found that the Democrats are between 5 to 11 percentage points higher than the Republicans.

最近的民意调查显示，民主党在潜在选民中更受欢迎。调查数据显示，民主党比共和党高出了5到11个百分点。

Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Ryan said his decision to retire was not based on a fear of losing his party’s majority in the House. He said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and three children.

瑞安周三在华盛顿发表讲话称，自己的退休决定并非因为担心在众议院中失去多数党优势。他说他想花更多时间陪伴他的妻子和3个孩子。

Ryan said that he has accomplished a lot in a short time as speaker. He added, “We’re going to have a great record to run on.” Ryan will leave Congress when his term ends.

瑞安表示，他在作为议长的短暂时间内已经完成了很多工作。他补充说，“我们会创下一项伟大记录。”瑞安将在任期届满后离开国会。

Years in the House

在众议院的这些年

Ryan was first elected to Congress in 1998. At the age of 28, he became known as one of the “Young Guns” in the Republican Party.

瑞安于1998年首次当选为国会议员。他以28岁的年龄成为了共和党内的“少壮派”之一。

In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney asked Ryan to serve as the party’s candidate for vice president. They lost the election to then-President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

2012年，共和党总统候选人米特·罗姆尼（Mitt Romney）邀请瑞安担任该党副总统候选人。他们在选举中败给了时任总统奥巴马以及副总统拜登。

Three years ago, Ryan accepted the job of House Speaker after the sudden retirement of speaker John Boehner.

3年前，瑞安在前议长约翰·博纳（John Boehner）突然离职后接任众议院议长职位。

Ryan has long sought for tax cuts and reforms to government entitlement programs. He also wants to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which expanded the nation’s health care system. In 2010, President Obama signed the act into law. Today, both supporters and opponents of the law call it Obamacare.

瑞安一直寻求减税和政府福利改革。他还希望推翻“平价医疗法”，这项法案扩大了国家的医保体系。2010年，奥巴马总统签署了这项法案。今天，这项法案的正反两派都称之为奥巴马医改方案。

Late last year, Ryan and the Republican-controlled Congress approved tax cuts, but were unable to end Obamacare.

去年年底，瑞安和共和党控制的国会批准了减税，但是未能废除奥巴马医改方案。

The house speaker announced his plans at a closed-door meeting of Republican lawmakers Wednesday morning. Ryan told them that serving as speaker has been the professional honor of his life, and he thanked them for the trust they placed in him.

这位众议院议长周三在共和党议员的闭门会议上宣布了他的计划。瑞安告诉他们，担任议长是他毕生的荣耀，他还感谢了大家对他的信任。

Ryan’s spokesman said in a statement, “After nearly 20 years in the House, the speaker is proud of all that has been accomplished and is ready to devote more of his time to being a husband and a father.”

瑞安的发言人在一份声明中表示：“在众议院服务近20年之后，瑞安议长为所有已经完成的成就感到自豪，他准备投入更多时间去做一个丈夫和父亲。”

Words in This Story

survey – n. a study in which many people are asked a question or series of questions

accomplish – v. to bring about; to carry out or complete

entitlement – n. a government program designed to help one or more groups

proud – adj. very happy or pleased because of something you have done

devote – v. to give or direct attention on someone or something

professional – adj. of or related to a job or work