VOA标准英语2014--Washington Week: Focus on US Unemployed 聚焦华盛顿:关注美国失业

 

Washington Week: Focus on US Unemployed¹ 聚焦华盛顿:关注美国失业

The U.S. Congress gets back to work this week after a holiday break. Whether to restore jobless benefits for more than one million long-term unemployed Americans will be among the first items considered in the Democratic-led Senate.

Americans who have been jobless for more than 26 weeks got their last unemployment check a week ago.

Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid has scheduled an initial vote late Monday on a bill to renew compensation for the long-term unemployed by three months.  The bill needs bipartisan support to advance.

“The politics of this are pretty strong. The people who are unemployed for long periods of time are Democrats³, and they are Republicans,” said Reid.

The effort has the backing of President Barack Obama.

“We do not abandon our fellow Americans when times get tough. We keep the faith with them until they start a new job. If folks cannot pay their bills or buy the basics, like food and clothes, local businesses take a hit and hire fewer workers,” said Obama.

Even if the bill passes the Senate, a vote in the Republican-led House of Representatives is far from assured. Many Republican lawmakers worry about the fiscal⁴ impact of another extension of benefits - and the impact on job seekers themselves. Senator Rand Paul is among those opposed to prolonged benefits.

“I think it's wrong to borrow money from China or simply to print up money for it. But I'm not against having unemployment insurance. I do think, though, that the longer you have it, that it provides some disincentive to work,” said Paul.

Democrats see economic benefits if jobless benefits are extended, and political benefits in waging the battle, whether they succeed or not.

Thomas Mann, an analyst⁵ at the Brookings Institution, says Republicans are in a tough spot in this battle.

“I think that will be a very, very contentious⁶ issue, but it is one where the politics really argue for Republicans finding a way to pass that. It is very unpopular to deny people some support during this difficult time,"  said Mann.

Republicans, meanwhile, hope to keep the public’s attention focused on the initial problems surrounding President Obama’s signature health care law.

1 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

2 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。

3 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》

4 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。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。