US Lawmakers Announce Budget Committee Choices

 　　Leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have named nine of the 12 members of a committee that will be expected to find up to $1.5 trillion in savings¹ to reduce the nation's deficit².

　　The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama expects the members of the panel to make a serious effort to get the job done.

　　Senate Majority Leader Harry³ Reid selected fellow Democratic Senators Patty Murray, Max Baucus, and John Kerry, a former Democratic presidential candidate.

　　Murray's selection has drawn⁵ criticism, as she also chairs the committee on Democratic senators' re-election campaigns.

　　Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also announced his choices:  Republican Senators Jon Kyl, Rob Portman, and Pat Toomey.

　　House Speaker John Boehner selected Republican Congressmen Jeb Hensarling, Dave Camp, and Fred Upton.

　　House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat⁴, has yet to announce her picks, which will be the final three members of the committee.

　　The group is the result of a hard-won deal, passed last week, to raise the nation's debt ceiling. The committee has until November 23 to negotiate a set of recommendations to reduce the deficit.

　　If those efforts fail, a wide swath of budget cuts will automatically go into effect across many government agencies.

1 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

2 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。

3 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。

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 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。