美国国家公共电台 NPR In Fight With 'Chuck And Nancy,' Trump Says He'd Be 'Proud' To Shut Down Government

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

When President Trump¹ meets Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer today, two realities will be apparent. One is that the president needs a deal with the top two Democrats² in Congress to avoid a government shutdown. The other is that Democrats in Congress will be more powerful in the new year. NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith has been asking if Democrats and the president can agree on much.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE³: A little more than a year ago, President Trump had a couple of meetings with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He said he'd worked out a deal on immigration with Chuck and Nancy, as he called them.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And I think something can happen. We'll see what happens. But something will happen.

KEITH: It didn't happen. The deal blew up without even an agreement on what the deal was. But last month, after the midterms, Pelosi and Trump were again talking about compromise...

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TRUMP: Nancy Pelosi and I could work together and get a lot of things done.

KEITH: ...On things like infrastructure⁴ and prescription⁵ drug pricing.

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NANCY PELOSI: Hopeful that we can work in a bipartisan way in that way.

KEITH: But it's not all rainbows. Pelosi and Democrats are also talking about robust⁷ investigations⁸ of Trump and his administration. And Trump said that would lead to a, quote, "warlike posture⁹."

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TRUMP: Then, at the end of two years, nothing's done. Now, what's bad for them is, being in the majority, I'm just going to blame them.

KEITH: When looking for historical analogies, the period after the 1994 midterms often comes up. Much like President Trump today, President Clinton saw his party's majority in the House wiped out. Then, in 1996, Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republicans came together to make sweeping¹⁰ changes to the welfare system.

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BILL CLINTON: I signed this bill because this is a historic chance, where Republicans and Democrats got together...

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NEWT GINGRICH: We have to recognize, this is a historic moment, when we are working together to do something very good for America.

KEITH: It was an uneasy and short-lived truce¹¹ that left many Democrats feeling like the president had sold them out. During this period, Republicans in Congress and Clinton also came together on health care legislation and the budget. Leon Panetta, who was Clinton's chief of staff at the time, points out - these bipartisan accomplishments¹² took time.

LEON PANETTA: It didn't just happen. And it took some confrontation¹³ at the beginning.

KEITH: Confrontation in the form of not one but two government shutdowns.

PANETTA: It led to a real political backlash that hurt the Republicans. And it was as a result of that, I honestly believe, that Speaker Gingrich figured that it would be much better for them to try and cooperate.

KEITH: But since then, there have been 25 years of partisan⁶ trench¹⁴ warfare¹⁵. Now the questions are whether Democrats are willing or able to compromise with Trump. Is Trump willing to deal? If he is, will congressional Republicans go along? And given the way Trump has changed his mind in the midst of past negotiations¹⁶, will anyone trust him? Still, allies of the president and Pelosi interviewed for this story say they see potential for compromise. Marc Short is the former director of legislative¹⁷ affairs for the Trump administration.

MARC SHORT: I think there are several positions the president has that, frankly¹⁸, line up more, traditionally, with Democrats. The question, I think, that is yet to be determined¹⁹ is whether or not Democrats will give their leadership the flexibility²⁰ to negotiate with the president.

KEITH: And John Lawrence is a former chief of staff to Pelosi.

JOHN LAWRENCE: She is going to be - and I think the Democrats in the House are going to be concerned with proving that they can be trusted, that they can govern. And if that involves having to make deals with Senator McConnell or President Trump, then I think they will do that because that's what they've been hired to do.

KEITH: Short and Lawrence both see incentives²¹ for their party to get something done - while questioning whether those incentives exist for the other side.

Tamara Keith, NPR News.

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1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 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》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

6 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

9 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

12 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

14 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

15 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

16 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。

17 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

18 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

19 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

20 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

21 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法