美国国家公共电台 NPR 美国政府问责局审查1.2万亿救助资金 特朗普也无可奈何(在线收听

The CARES Act is the $2 trillion coronavirus response legislation that Congress approved late last month. It calls for a government watchdog — the Government Accountability Office, or GAO — to monitor the spending and the overall federal response to the pandemic. And while President Trump has pushed back on other oversight, it'll be difficult for him to block the GAO's work. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

《关怀法案》是美国国会上个月末批准的2万亿美元冠状病毒应对法案。该法案要求政府监管机构美国政府问责办公室(简称GAO)监督支出和联邦对疫情做出的整体反应。虽然特朗普总统抵制了其他监管,但他很难阻止政府问责办公室的工作。NPR新闻的布莱恩·纳勒将带来详细报道。

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE: The GAO is a nonpartisan agency that's part of Congress. A video on its website explains its purpose pretty succinctly.

布莱恩·内勒连线:政府问责办公室是隶属于国会的无党派机构。其官网上的一段视频相当简洁地解释了其目的。

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

(录音档案)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: We track government funds to see how much programs are costing, if the programs have met their goals and whether federal money has been spent wisely.

身份不明的人:我们追踪政府资金,查看项目成本,判断项目是否达到目标以及联邦资金是否得到合理使用。

NICOLE CLOWERS: We've been given a very broad oversight role under the CARES Act.

妮可·克劳沃斯:根据《关怀法案》,我们被赋予了非常广泛的监督职责。

NAYLOR: That's Nicole Clowers. She's the managing director of the GAO's health care team.

内勒:这是妮可·克劳沃斯所说。她是政府问责办公室医疗团队的总经理。

CLOWERS: We're required to provide ongoing monitoring and oversight of the nation's preparedness for, response to and recovery from the pandemic as well as examining the impact of the pandemic on the economy, public health as well as Homeland Security.

克劳沃斯:我们要持续监测和监管国家对这场流行病的准备、应对和恢复,并检查该流行病对经济、公共卫生以及国土安全造成的影响。

NAYLOR: Clowers says the GAO was also tracking how that $2 trillion is being spent, and she says the agency has already gotten to work.

内勒:克劳沃斯表示,政府问责办公室也在追踪2万亿美元是如何花费的,她说,该机构已经开始工作了。

CLOWERS: Some of the more immediate things that we're starting would include looking at the testing for the virus, the availability of the personal protective equipment as well as infection control at nursing homes.

克劳沃斯:我们现在的一些紧要任务包括,检查病毒检测、个人防护装备的可用性以及养老院的感染控制。

NAYLOR: It's a broad mandate, but Clowers says the agency has experience. It oversaw spending on the TARP Act and the economic stimulus bill in 2008, relief measures Congress approved in the Great Recession. The CARES Act contained $20 million for the GAO to hire additional staff. Rena Steinzor is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. She says the GAO is up to the task.

内勒:这是一项广泛的授权,但克劳沃斯表示,该机构有经验。这一机构曾监管2008年通过的问题资产救助计划和经济刺激法案的支出,这些是国会在大衰退时期批准的纾困措施。《关怀法案》为政府问责办公室提供了2000万美元,供其雇佣更多员工。蕾娜·斯坦佐是马里兰大学法学院的教授。她表示,政府问责办公室能胜任这项任务。

RENA STEINZOR: They're used to doing complicated audits, and they're used to writing reports that are objective. Now, the downside of all of that is they are the group that dares to be boring. But arguably, you need that.

蕾娜·斯坦佐:他们习惯于进行复杂的审计工作和撰写客观报告。现在,所有这些的缺点是,他们是敢于令人厌烦的组织。但可以说,你需要它。

NAYLOR: Congress initially tried to find other avenues for oversight of the CARES Act by establishing a panel of inspectors general to oversee the money and a special IG to watch over the money distributed to corporations. But President Trump removed the officials said to lead that panel. Steinzor, though, says the GAO is beyond the president's reach.

内勒:国会最初试图寻找其他途径来监管《关怀法案》,比如建立检察长小组监管资金,并任命一名特别检察长来监管分配给企业的资金。但是特朗普总统解雇了据称领导该小组的官员。不过,斯坦佐表示,政府问责办公室是总统力所不能及的机构。

STEINZOR: He can't fire them. He can stonewall them. This administration is historical in terms of the amount of stonewalling that it just does. But they will find a way to talk to people, and they will just keep their head down and keep on walking toward the goal.

斯坦佐:他不能解雇他们。他可以拖延。从拖延程度上来讲,这届政府创造了历史。但他们将找到与人们对话的方法,他们将继续低下头,继续朝着目标前进。

NAYLOR: Clowers says the GAO has long worked with Republicans and Democrats, and she's confident the agency will be able to do so as it looks into the government response to the pandemic.

内勒:克劳沃斯表示,政府问责办公室长期以来一直与共和党和民主党合作,她相信,该机构在调查政府的疫情应对情况时,也能做到这一点。

CLOWERS: We have longstanding relationships — independent but longstanding relationships with agencies, and I believe that that will help us maintain good relations — you know, good working relationships moving forward.

克劳沃斯:我们与各机构保持着独立但又长期的关系,我相信这将有助于我们维持良好的关系,推动良好的工作关系。

NAYLOR: The GAO is to report its findings every 60 days. Its first report is due at the end of June.

内勒:政府问责办公室每60天报告一次调查结果。其首份报告将于6月底出炉。

Brian Naylor, NPR News.

NPR新闻,布莱恩·内勒报道。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/npr2020/4/502335.html