VOA标准英语2010年-New Congress Expected to Review Foreig

A number of political analysts¹ are looking at what to expect when Republicans assume committee chairmanships.
One of them is Brett D. Schaefer, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher² Center for Freedom. He foresees cuts in discretionary spending -- programs where spending is not mandatory³ but is determined⁴ each year by Congress.
Schaefer says many of the expected cuts will come in the budgets of programs and groups – including the United Nations and U.S. State Department – that do not have strong domestic constituencies to defend them.
APMany foreign policy institutions, including the United Nations, lack strong domestic constituencies to ward⁵ off budget cuts "There has been talk about reducing spending to 2008 levels," he says. "That would imply an immediate⁶ reduction across the board, but I would also expect a more conservative House (of Representatives) to scrutinize⁷ funding for foreign aid and international programs in general, as they have been more skeptical⁸ and critical of those types of programs than Democrats⁹ traditionally have been."Some of the cuts could be made by the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations¹⁰ Subcommittee in the House, which determines funding for the State Department, USAID and programs involving foreign aid and humanitarian¹¹ assistance.
In line to assume the chairmanship of the subcommittee is Congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas. The Washington Times newspaper says she is a strong supporter of a balanced budget amendment¹² and a critic of development aid going to countries that she says have not done enough to control corruption¹³.
Another Republican leader seen as likely to suggest spending cuts is incoming House majority leader Eric Cantor. He has linked foreign aid to a country's support for U.S. foreign policy objectives. He has also proposed reducing foreign assistance, except for aid to Israel.
That drew comment from J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center and senior vice¹⁴ president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
"[Cantor] made a motion just before the (midterm elections) calling for separating out the foreign aid contribution to Israel from the rest of the foreign aid budget<' says Morrison.
"It was very controversial. I don't know that it has much support among Republicans. I think that was a trial balloon. That was a pretty radical measure, which shows there is at least some deliberation around how foreign assistance might be rethought and restructured in this period."ASSOCIATED PRESSIncoming House majority leader Eric Cantor Traditionally, U.S. conservatives have not favored large reductions in defense spending, though pressure by tea party activists, representing popular support for cutting the national budget, could lead the Congress to reconsider the issue.
Christopher Preble, the director of foreign policy studies at the Washington-based CATO Institute, explains the position of those who say no aspect of the budget should be spared:
"[Many] conservatives believe that because defense is a core function of government, they are less inclined to focus there than on other domestic spending, which they see as beyond that core function," says Preble.
"But many genuine fiscal conservatives understand that when you have a department that has grown as quickly and steadily as the Department of Defense over the last 12 or 15 years, there is clearly some waste in there and some opportunities for cost savings even without a fundamental change to the strategy....And, there are even some...who – not wanting to burden the troops with additional obligations and fewer resources -- are willing to revisit some of those global (military) commitments made years ago and have sustained mainly by inertia.
APSome legislators say there's room to reduce military expenditures; others disagree"There is no core conservative argument that says the U.S. must maintain a global military presence and sustain nation building missions in Iraq and Afghanistan indefinitely. Unlike on domestic and fiscal policy, where there is much more agreement, many of these foreign policy questions will turn on a more individual basis [of the committee and subcommittee chairs]. "The new Republican majority will not just be considering budget cuts. They're also likely to exercise their oversight responsibilities – allowing them to challenge Obama administration policies.
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the incoming chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
VOAIncoming chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-LehtinenRos-Lehtinen is a strong supporter of President Obama's "surge" policy in Afghanistan and of strong enforcement of sanctions against Iran. She's also a strong supporter of human rights in China and Russia and is critical of the administration's efforts to relax parts of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The congresswoman also disagrees with the administration's decision to re-join the U.N.'s Human Rights Council and has backed legislation to reduce financial support to the international body.
J. Peter Pham is senior vice president at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York City. One of the issues he's following is development assistance. Pham notes that California Congressman Ed Royce is in line to become chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. Royce is a former chair of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
Pham says Royce is likely to use the committee to assess the behavior of countries receiving funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the MCC, which provides development assistance to countries with good records of economic and political governance. According to Pham, some say the corporation has veered away from its own strict standards and some member countries undermine U.S. foreign policy.
"We have on the record," he says, "both Mr. Royce and (Texas Congresswoman Kay) Granger expressing formally in hearings and in correspondence with the administration their reservations about the 540 million dollar [agreement] signed with Senegal. [This], at a time when the Senegalese president was building a 25 to 75 million dollar bronze statue with the North Koreans and appointing his son to head a ministry that includes international cooperation, transportation, aviation, regional planning and energy.
North Korea helped build Senegal's controversial Monument to the African Renaissance"One of the disturbing things I've written about is Senegal's slow but sure creeping alliance with Iran. That, and the corruption in government, is something Mr. Royce undoubtedly is going to look into much more closely."Pham says that with the exception of some highly contentious issues like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. foreign policy is, as he puts it, heavily bi-partisan, a trend he expects to continue in the new Congress. In his view, the only difference now, with Republican control of the House, will be an increase in oversight.
Without that, he says, approval of programs and expenditures becomes routine, and questionable projects could be approved. Conservatives say that's the opposite of the message sent by an electorate concerned with government belt-tightening.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 scrutinize   

n.详细检查，细读

参考例句：

• Her purpose was to scrutinize his features to see if he was an honest man.她的目的是通过仔细观察他的相貌以判断他是否诚实。
• She leaned forward to scrutinize their faces.她探身向前，端详他们的面容。

8 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

9 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》

10 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

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

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 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。

14 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。