VOA慢速英语2020--特朗普签署冠状病毒援助法案

American President Donald Trump¹ signed a $2.3 trillion spending plan measure Sunday night that he had suggested he would veto. The bill includes $900 billion for coronavirus aid and $1.4 trillion for government operations through next September.

The president had called the bill "a disgrace" after the Senate passed it last week. His objections surprised many in Congress. Republican and Democratic leaders called on Trump throughout the week, urging him to sign it.

Without Trump's signature or passage of a temporary measure, a partial government shutdown would have begun Tuesday.

Increased unemployment benefits and housing protections had ended earlier on Sunday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat², called the signing "welcomed news for the 14 million Americans who just lost the lifeline of unemployment benefits on Christmas Weekend, and for the millions more struggling to stay afloat during this historic pandemic and economic crisis."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, praised Trump for preventing "a government shutdown at a time when our nation could not have afforded one." He said the bill was not perfect but would do a huge amount of good for struggling Americans "who need help now."

Trump said in announcing the signing that he was also demanding changes to the legislation to remove what he called "wasteful³ items." Those demands amount to suggestions to Congress and will not necessarily result in any changes to the bill.

His main objection to the bill was the amount of individual coronavirus aid payments to Americans.

"As President, I have told Congress that I want far less wasteful spending and more money going to the American people in the form of $2,000 checks per adult and $600 per child," Trump said in a statement.

Trump's support for the larger payments was seen as criticism of members of his Republican Party who resisted Democratic efforts to negotiate larger payments.

Democrats⁴ have described the aid bill as just a first step in their push for a more expansive aid program.

"We need to ensure robust⁵ support for state and local government to distribute and administer a vaccine⁶, keep workers employed and prevent devastating⁷ service cuts – and we must do so as soon as possible," Pelosi said.

Trump did veto a separate spending bill last week. The $740 billion measure would support the country's defense⁸ programs.

Congress has suspended its usual Christmas break to return to work to consider an override⁹, or rejection¹⁰, of Trump's veto. A two-thirds majority vote in both legislative¹¹ bodies is required to override a presidential veto.

Words in This Story

disgrace -n. something that you are or should be ashamed of

afford -v. to be able to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed

item -n. an individual thing : a separate part or thing

robust -adj. successful or impressive and not likely to fail or weaken

distribute -v. to give or deliver (something) to people

devastating -adj. causing great damage or harm

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

6 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

7 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

10 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

11 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。