VOA常速英语2019--特朗普与国会的对抗实为两党的暗中角力（在线收听）

Congress is a check on the White House, often sparking confrontation between the two.

国会的存在对白宫是一种制衡，这种制衡通常会引发两者之间的冲突。

The administration has decided that they are not going to honor their oath of office.

特朗普政府已决定不再履行曾经的就职宣言。

A confrontation about congressional oversight that Democratic lawmakers say has now crossed the line into something much more serious.

国会的监管引发了一场冲突，许多民主党议员表示，这场监管现在已经逾矩，导致了更严重的情况。

We are now in it. We are now in a constitutional crisis. But the US Constitution is vague about the balance of power between the two branches of government, leaving voters wondering. There’s some kind of crisis for sure. I can’t say exactly whether it would qualify as a constitutional crisis or not.

我们现在都身置于其中，身置于一场宪法危机之中。但美国宪法没有明确界定政府两个分支的权力均衡，让选民困惑不解。当然是有某种危机存在的，但我无法准确界定这种危机是否可以称之为宪法危机。

Trump has tested the limits of presidential power before declaring a national emergency after Congress refused to pay for a US-Mexico border wall. But in a tweet he said, Democrats are the problem, a view supported by his own party.

特朗普已经检验过总统权力的上限——他在国会否决建造美墨边境墙的提案后就宣布国家进入紧急状态。但在一则推文中，他表示，民主党才是问题所在，而他的这个观点也得到了共和党的支持。

The only crisis we have is the majority of this Congress. 66 percent of American voters in a recent Quinnipiac University poll said House Democrats should not impeach the president. I think it’s much ado about nothing. I personally I think that the when whoever’s in power, squeals loudly about the other side. It came from the one side now. It’s the other.

我们唯一的危机是国会大多数席位由民主党掌控。66%的美国选民在最近昆尼皮亚克大学的一项民意调查中认为，众议院的民主党议员不应该弹劾特朗普总统。我认为这太小题大做了。我个人认为，无论哪方掌权，都会对另一方多有苛责。不是这方指责那方，就是那方指责这方。

The system of government set up by the Constitution has been challenged before when Richard Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors, and earlier, when confrontation between free and slave-owning states started the civil war.

美国宪法所设立的政府体系曾受到过质疑，当时的情况是：里根总统离任，而非受到重罪和轻罪的弹劾。还有一次是自由州和蓄奴州之间的对抗引发内战的时候。

In the case of subpoenas for the Trump administration, scholars say Congress has wide authority.

就特朗普政府面临传唤这件事而言，学者表示，国会有广泛的权力。

Congress can’t violate the Constitution in terms of forcing people to testify against their Fifth Amendment rights which is against self-incrimination, but in terms of the content of the material, they really do have broad power.

国会不能违反宪法的内容，因为宪法规定任何人不得强迫美国公民去提供违背《第五修正案》的证词，而《第五修正案》正是反对自证其罪的。不过，就素材的内容而言，国会有着广泛的权力。

Now, the President may assert executive privilege. This is something I predicted about five months ago when the Congress shift hands. Presidents do assert executive privilege but the Supreme Court has indicated that it’s fairly narrow.

现在，特朗普总统可能会坚持总统特权。这种情况是我大概5个月之前就预测到的，当时国会正在换届。美国总统确实有总统特权，但最高法院也曾表示这种特权的权限很小。

The third branch of government, the judiciary, could provide clarity. The real constitutional crisis will be is if a federal judge orders that the president or people working for the President or private parties are ordered to produce the materials after a full hearing and the president orders people not to do it.

美国政府的第三个分支，即司法，可以澄清事件。真正的宪法危机是联邦法官要求总统或者公务员或者私人党派提供在充分审理后提供证词，而总统则反对此事。

A refusal that could change the minds of voters. It’s dividing our country so deeply and if some transparency could shed light on everything that’s in there and perhaps we can move forward.

这样的拒绝会改变选民的心意。这种情况正在让美国产生严重的分裂。而如果透明化能给我们一些启示的话，那么或许，我们能有所进展。

Who say they just want to see a working government.

当初不知道是谁他们唯一的希望是政府能结束停摆就行了。