Obama says gov't spending cuts hurt families

 　　WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday said that the ongoing¹ government spending cuts will hurt U. S. families and slow the nation's economic growth.

　　The government should manage the spending cuts "as best we can, try to minimize the impacts on American families," Obama said at the first Cabinet meeting of his second term.

　　Obama on Friday signed an order to officially start the 85- billion-U.S.-dollar across-the-board government spending cuts for this fiscal² year ending on Sept. 30, after the White House and Republicans failed to reach a plan to stop the spending cuts from taking effect.

　　"It makes sense for us to take a balanced approach that takes a long view and doesn't reduce our commitment to things like education and basic research that will help us grow over the long term," Obama noted³.

　　"I will continue to seek out partners on the other side of the aisle⁴ so that we can create the kind of balanced approach of spending cuts, revenues, entitlement reform that everybody knows is the right way to do things," he said.

　　"We're going to do our best to make sure that our agencies have the support they need to try to make some very difficult decisions, understanding that there are going to be families and communities that are hurt, and that this will slow our growth. It will mean lower employment in the United States than otherwise would have been," Obama stressed.

　　Obama on Monday nominated three Cabinet-level officials, a big step to form his second-term leadership team. He promoted Gina McCarthy, an official of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to lead the agency, and tapped MIT physicist⁵ Ernest Moniz to run the Energy Department. He also picked Clinton-era budget expert Sylvia Burwell as the director of White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 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。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

5 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。