US Congress Decides 2011 Federal Budget

     The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a spending bill to fund the federal government through September.  The last-minute agreement was reached nearly a week ago after intense negotiations¹ between the White House and Congress, slashing² $38.5 billion in spending and averting³ a government shutdown.  The House approved the measure on Thursday and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill within a few hours.

    House lawmakers passed the 2011 funding bill by a vote of 260 to 167, after debate in which Republicans accused Democrats⁵ of runaway⁶ government spending, and Democrats accused Republicans of slashing funding for much-needed programs.

    House Speaker John Boehner said the agreement is not perfect, but he called it a good start in the long process of reducing federal spending.

    "What this bill does, it stops the bleeding," said Boehner. "It halts the spending binge and starts us moving back in the right direction.  Does it cut enough?  No.  Do I wish it cut more?  Absolutely.  And do we need to cut more?  Absolutely."Boehner said Republicans have changed the debate and tone in Washington during their first 100 days as the majority party in the House by focusing on cutting federal spending, including in the 2011 budget.

    "We are cutting $38.5 billion of money that has already been authorized⁷ and appropriated," he said. "And anybody that does not believe this money would not be spent if we do not act is kidding themselves because this is real money and these are real cuts."Boehner said the cuts are the biggest package of non-defense spending reductions in history.  He said the Senate Budget Committee(委员会) expects that during the next decade, it will save $315 billion.

    The bill is a compromise.  Republicans had sought broader cuts, while Democrats had wanted fewer spending reductions.

    Democrats had harsh words for Republicans.  House Minority Leader, Democrat⁴ Nancy Pelosi accused Republicans of not creating a single job or laying out a jobs agenda, saying that Republican policies will hurt ordinary Americans and women, and benefit oil companies and the rich.

    Pelosi said she and her Democratic Party colleagues in the House were kept out of the negotiations（谈判磋商） on the budget bill and that lawmakers have an obligation to the American people to ensure the government remains⁸ open.

    "It was evident that the Republicans in the House, the Democrats in the Senate were the two majorities," said Pelosi. "They were the ones who had the votes, so they had the strength to negotiate and the president presided over that.  I feel no ownership of that or any responsibility to it, except that we do not want to shut down government."The debate on federal spending is dominating Washington.  President Barack Obama on Wednesday outlined his strategy to cut $4 trillion from the nation's deficit⁹ during the next 12 years.  He called for shared sacrifice and said the country cannot afford to maintain tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that were enacted¹⁰ by his predecessor¹¹, George W. Bush.

    On Friday, House lawmakers are expected to vote on a Republican-sponsored budget plan for 2012 that the majority party says makes smart cuts that will stimulate¹² the economy, while saving nearly bankrupt social programs.

    But Democrats are opposed to the measure, saying the plan from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan cuts aid programs for senior citizens and low-income Americans.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

3 averting   

防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• The margin of time for averting crisis was melting away. 可以用来消弥这一危机的些许时光正在逝去。
• These results underscore the value of rescue medications in averting psychotic relapse. 这些结果显示了救护性治疗对避免精神病复发的价值。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 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》

6 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

7 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 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。

10 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

12 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。