VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Meets with Governors on Economy

U.S. President Barack Obama says the nation's governors will be held accountable for money flowing into their states as part of his economic stimulus¹ plan. The money should start arriving this week.
　
President Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden before addressing National Governors Association at the White House, 23 Feb. 2009

The plan includes billions of dollars to help states hard hit by the recession keep important programs and services in operation.

The first money to flow from Washington will be used to help states provide health care for those in need.

The president says $15 billion will be transferred from the federal government to state coffers on Wednesday.

"Children with asthma³ will be able to breathe easier, seniors won't need to fear losing their doctors, and pregnant women with limited means won't have to worry about the health of their babies," he said.

During a meeting with most of the 50 governors at the White House, President Obama stressed the importance of accountability.

He said when it comes to implementing⁴ the $787 billion stimulus package there is no room for error.

"We are addressing the greatest economic crisis we have seen in decades by investing unprecedented⁵ amounts of the American peoples' hard earned money," he said. "With that comes an unprecedented obligation to do so wisely, free from politics and personal agendas."

Mr. Obama said he is naming Earl Devaney, a government official who exposed corruption⁶ and waste at the U.S. Interior Department to head a new office that will monitor the distribution and use of stimulus funds. And he said Vice² President Joe Biden will oversee⁷ the implementation⁸ of the plan.

"And the fact that I am asking my vice president to personally lead this effort shows how important it is for our country and our future to get this right," he said.

Governors from the president's own Democratic Party are strongly supportive of the stimulus package. Republican governors are more divided, with some refusing to take part of the money set aside for their states, while others are backing the president.

President Obama acknowledged in his remarks to the governors that there has been "a healthy debate" on the stimulus.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, speaking for the Republicans at the White House meeting, held out the hope that all sides could now come together as the plan enters the implementation phase.

"It is not a partisan⁹ issue to get America moving again," he said. "Both Republicans and Democrats¹⁰ have lost their jobs all across this country and we have to work together to put them back to work."

The session with the governors was the first of many events the president will have this week on the economy. Later Monday, he is hosting a summit of experts and lawmakers on the federal budget deficit¹¹. News reports say Mr. Obama intends to cut the deficit by half over four years.

The president will talk about his economic goals Tuesday night in a nationally broadcast speech before a joint¹² session of Congress. And on Thursday, he will unveil his federal budget for the next fiscal¹³ year.

1 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

4 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

8 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

9 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

10 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》

11 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。