VOA常速英语2007年-Democrats, White House Deadlocked Over US Gover

By Dan Robinson
Washington
12 December 2007

Majority Democrats¹ in Congress and the White House are deadlocked³ over funding for the federal government. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, where Democratic and Republican leaders continue negotiations⁴, which also include discussion of funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As they put together a massive $500 billion measure comprising 11 separate unfinished government appropriations⁵ bills, Democrats blame President Bush and his advisers⁶, and congressional Republicans for the impasse⁷.

In remarks to reporters, Senate Democratic leader Harry⁸ Reid was critical of Mr. Bush's uncompromising attitude. "President Bush reminds me of somebody who was a lawyer, who would never negotiate anything, a nice guy, pleasant to visit with, but he was impossible to deal with on any case that he had. That is what we have with President Bush. He is impossible, and he has been for seven years, to deal with," he said.

Reid spoke⁹ as lawmakers reacted to a proposal by House appropriations chairman Congressman¹⁰ David Obey to resolve the deadlock².

To move closer to President Bush's limit for so-called discretionary spending, the portion of the federal budget approved by Congress each year, a figure the president has set at $933 billion, Obey suggested eliminating "earmarks" or spending for the lawmakers' special projects.

Democrats, who earlier dropped language to require a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, would also include $31 billion for military operations in Afghanistan, although none for Iraq.

House minority leader John Boehner and other Republicans accused Democrats of mishandling the appropriations process. "We are in agreement with the president that the size of the pie for discretionary domestic spending is $933 billion and so there is really no reason for us to move away from that number. That is the number, and to try to blackmail¹¹ the president for some $11 billion in extra spending on the backs of the troops and the veterans I think is not sustainable on their part," he said.

Congress has approved and the president has signed a $459 billion measure for the Pentagon, but not specifically funding war operations. President Bush asked for a separate emergency supplemental of $196 billion for that.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said if Democrats went ahead with their plan, he would submit an amendment¹² to provide $70 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan while meeting the president's government and domestic spending limit:

"It seems to me that is a way to end this session in a fiscally¹³ responsible way that also provides the funding necessary to continue the [military] surge [in Iraq] which has shown remarkable¹⁴ signs of success," he said.

Lawmakers are up against a wall. The government has been operating on temporary continuing resolutions since October 1, and Congress faces another deadline at the end of this week.

1 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》

2 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

3 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

7 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

11 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

12 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

13 fiscally   

在国库方面，财政上，在国库岁入方面

参考例句：

• Nor will fiscally stretched governments pump more money into the political equivalent of a leper colony. 财政吃紧的政府也不愿将更多的钱投入这个避之唯恐不及的政治瘟疫区。
• We are more fiscally constrained, which forces us to work smarter and more efficiently. 与F-15相比我们资金上的限制更大了，美女类小游戏，这迫使我们更为精心和有效地工作。

14 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。