美国众议院通过“清洁”债务上限法案

美国众议院通过“清洁”债务上限法案 　　

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (Xinhua)-- U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill with no provisions attached to extend the limit on the federal government's borrowing authority.

　　The legislation, approved in a 221-201 vote, would suspend the debt ceiling until March 15, 2015, allowing the Treasury¹ Department to issue new debt above the current 17.2 trillion cap.

　　The bill eliminates the threat of default and puts off debate on the issue till after the 2014 midterm elections.

　　It signifies a retreat from a long-held Republican strategy of seeking concessions² in exchange for a debt-limit increase, delivering victory to U.S. President Barack Obama who has demanded a debt limit hike without conditions.

　　House Speaker John Boehner told reporters Tuesday morning that he would advance a "clean" debt-limit bill to the House floor, abandoning a proposal circulated Monday which would have linked the debt limit increase with a reversal of military benefits cuts.

　　On Monday night, Boehner laid out a plan to pair the debt limit hike with a restoration of the veterans' benefits, which were cut in last year's bipartisan budget agreement. However, the plan failed to garner³ enough support among the Republican members and the GOP leader worried that Democrats⁴ would not go along.

　　The House Republican leader had struggled for more than a week to come up with policy provisions to attach to an increase in the country's borrowing limit. The decision to go forward with a " clean" debt ceiling bill highlighted the lack of consensus⁵ and the growing sense of urgency for Republicans who face a truncated⁶ calendar ahead of the Feb. 27 deadline set by Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew. Lawmakers in the lower chamber⁷ are set to depart Wednesday for a nearly two-week recess⁸.

　　Without an increase in the statutory borrowing limit, the U.S. government would face the threat of a historic default that could wreak⁹ havoc¹⁰ in global financial markets and hurt economic recovery.

　　The Democratic-controlled Senate would hold a vote on the bill on Wednesday. Congressional Democrats have long insisted the debt limit be raised with no strings¹¹ attached.

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

3 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

4 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》

5 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

6 truncated   

adj.切去顶端的，缩短了的，被删节的v.截面的( truncate的过去式和过去分词 )；截头的；缩短了的；截去顶端或末端

参考例句：

• My article was published in truncated form. 我的文章以节录的形式发表了。
• Oligocene erosion had truncated the sediments draped over the dome. 覆盖于穹丘上的沉积岩为渐新世侵蚀所截削。 来自辞典例句

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

8 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

9 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

10 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

11 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。