VOA标准英语2009-Obama Proposes $17 Billion in Budget Cuts

U.S. President Barack Obama is proposing modest cuts in government spending to help offset¹ major investments in health-care, education and energy initiatives.
　
President Obama and Budget Director Peter Orszag (l), 07 May 2009

The president says all the programs being eliminated or reduced are wasteful² or unnecessary.

"We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits⁴ do not matter and waste is not our problem," said President Obama. "We can no longer afford to leave the hard choices for the next budget, the next administration, or the next generation."

First round of cuts is modest

The first round of cuts is modest, $17 billion out of the president's $3.55-trillion budget proposal for 2010. But Mr. Obama makes clear they are an important start.

"At this moment, at this difficult time for our nation, we cannot accept business as usual," said Mr. Obama. "We cannot accept anything less than a government ready to meet the challenges of our time."

Some unnecessary defense⁵ programs will be cut

The list of cuts being sent to Congress for approval includes a long-range radio navigation system rendered obsolete⁶ by satellite technology, and an early education program that has yielded poor results. About half the cuts will come in unnecessary defense programs, including weapons systems not needed for 21st century warfare⁷.

The president says all these cuts will help bring the deficit³ down, and will free up money to fund budget priorities.

Republicans: budget cuts will have little impact

But Republicans in Congress say they will have little if any impact. Judd Gregg is the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.

"It is as if this was the Gobi Desert or the Sahara Desert, and you came along and took a few pieces of sand off the desert," said Senator Gregg.

Gregg says the cuts are not nearly enough to offset the huge cost of new initiatives requested by the president.

"While you are taking these few dollars out, which I congratulate the president for trying to do, they are adding back in massive amounts of spending," he said.

Congress has already approved the broad outlines of the president's budget proposal for 2010. But the hard work lies ahead as lawmakers negotiate details - agency by agency, and program by program - before the government's new fiscal⁸ year begins October 1.

 

1 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

2 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。

3 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。

4 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

7 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

8 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。