Weekly  Address: Vice President Biden Calls on Congress to Preserve the Middle Class  Tax Cuts and to Extend Unemployment Insurance This Year

每周电视讲话：拜登副总统呼吁国会保留对中产阶级的减税政策并进一步扩大失业保险

WASHINGTON  – With President Obama visiting troops in Afghanistan, Vice President Biden  delivered this week’s address, in which he said Congress must extend both the  middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance this year.  The combined economic blow of raising taxes  on the middle class and cutting two million Americans off of unemployment  insurance would wind up costing the country hundreds of thousands of jobs.  And, to say that during these challenging  times, we cannot afford to provide a lifeline to millions of Americans, but  we can afford to give tax cuts to the wealthiest two percent is not just bad  economic policy, it is also wrong.

华盛顿：由于奥巴马总统去了阿富汗视察部队，拜登副总统发表了本周的电视讲话，他说今年国会必须要延续对中产阶级的减税政策并扩大失业保险。对中产阶级增税和取消两百万美国人的失业保险这样的双重经济打击将让美国丧失数万工作岗位。而且谈到在目前遭遇挑战的时期，我们不堪承受为数百万美国人提供生活基本保障，但可以承受为2%的最富裕阶层减税的政策时，拜登称这不仅仅是糟糕的经济政策，其政策本身也是错误的。

Hi,  this is Joe Biden.  I’m filling in for  President Obama this weekend because he’s on his way back from Afghanistan,  where he was spending some time with the brave men and women of our Armed  Forces.

大家好，我是乔·拜登。本周由我代替奥巴马总统发表演讲。他正在从阿富汗返回的路上，他是去到那里慰问我们勇敢的士兵们的。

It’s  tough to be far from home during the holidays, especially in a warzone, so he  wanted to be there in person to thank them on behalf of all Americans for  their service and the sacrifice each one of them are making.  And here at home, the First Lady and my  wife Jill have made supporting military families a priority.  These families are also making difficult  sacrifices for our country, and they deserve our admiration and gratitude as  well.

在节日里远离家门是很痛苦的事情，尤其是身在战区，因此他想亲自到那里代表全体美国人民向他们表示感谢，感谢他们每个人的付出和牺牲。在国内，第一夫人和我夫人也将为军属家庭提供帮助作为最为首要事情。这些家庭也为国家做出了同样的牺牲，他们也理应得到我们的钦佩与感激。

Our  service members and their families are always on our mind, even as the  President and I are working on other issues that all American families are  deeply concerned about: accelerating our recovery, growing our economy,  strengthening our middle class, and getting our friends and neighbors back to  work.

我们的士兵们以及他们的家庭一直在我们心间，即使是总统先生和我忙于全美家庭都深切关注的其他事务的时候：加速经济复苏，刺激经济增长，巩固中产阶级地位，帮助我们的朋友和邻居重返工作岗位。

In  recent months, we’ve seen encouraging signs on that front.  After shrinking for four straight quarters,  our economy has now grown five straight quarters.  After nearly two years of job loss, our  economy has created more than one million private sector jobs just this year.

在最近几个月里，我们在这方面看到了一些鼓舞人心的信号。在持续四个季度的经济萎缩之后，我们的经济已经持续五个季度实现增长了。在将近两年的失业增加之后，今年我们的经济已经在私营部门创造了超过100万个工作岗位。

And  after teetering on the brink of liquidation last year, our auto industry is  posting healthy gains, assembly lines are running again, and American  manufacturing is getting up off the mat and fighting its way back.

在度过了去年濒临破产边缘的挣扎后，我们的汽车工业也实现了健康增长，生产线重新开动，美国的制造业也摆脱了困境重新回正道。

Still,  Friday’s jobs report was a sobering reminder of that. While we saw another  month of job growth in November, it just wasn’t enough.

然而，周五的就业报告依然提醒我们要冷静面对现实。尽管我们看到11月又是就业增长的一个月，但这还远远不够。

That  underscores why it’s so important to get going without delay on two things  that will have the most impact in growing the economy.

这也是我强调为什么在对经济增长产生最为重要影响的两件事情上不能拖延的重要原因。

One:  we’ve got to extend the tax cuts for the middle class that are set to expire  at the end of the month.  If we don’t,  millions of middle-class families will see a big bite out of their paychecks  starting January 1.  And that’s the  last thing we should let happen.  After  a decade in which they lost ground, middle class families can ill-afford a  tax hike – and our economy can’t afford the hit it will take if middle class  families have less money to spend.

其一：我们必须延续年末即将到期的对中产阶级的减税政策。如果我们不这么做，数百万中产阶级家庭将在新年第一天看到他们的薪水单被削掉一大块儿。这是我们最不希望发生的事情。在他们十多年的失意之后，中产阶级家庭已不堪承受赋税升高的伤害——而且我们的经济也不堪承受由于中产阶级家庭支出水平下降带来的冲击。

And  the second thing we’ve got to do is extend unemployment insurance for  Americans who have lost their jobs in a tough economy.  Without unemployment benefits, families  can’t spend on basic necessities that are grown, made, and sold by other  Americans.

第二件事就是我们必须对在经济困难时期失业的美国人扩大失业保险。没有了失业救济金，这些家庭就买不起美国人种植，生产和销售的生活必需品。

Together,  the economic hit caused by raising taxes on the middle class, and denying two  million Americans unemployment insurance, will wind up costing us hundreds of  thousands of more jobs.  It just isn’t  smart.

总的来说，对中产阶级的增税和拒绝对两百万美国人提供失业保险带来的经济冲击将最终使我们失去数万或更多的工作岗位。这是不明智的。

And,  cutting unemployment insurance is not only not smart, it’s not right  either.  It would mean telling millions  of our neighbors who are out of work today through no fault of their own,  that they’re on their own.

而且，削减失业保险不仅仅是不明智的，也是不正当的。这将意味着告诉数百万我们失业的邻居们尽管这不是他们自己的错，但他们得靠自己解决。

That’s  no message to send in the season of hope.   We all know someone who’s hit a rough patch.  When that happens in America, we help him  get back up on his feet.  That’s who we  are.  That’s the American way.

在这需要希望的时期这么做没有任何价值。我们都知道有人遇到了困难。在美国发生了这样的事情，我们应该帮助他重新振作起来自力更生。这就是我们，这就是美国之路。

So  I just don’t agree with the folks who’ve said we can’t afford a lifeline for  Americans who lost their jobs during the worst recession in generations, but  we can afford to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to extend tax cuts  for the wealthiest two percent of Americans.   That’s bad economic policy, and it’s also just simply wrong.

因此我很不赞成某些人的话，他们说我们不能承受为在百年难遇的衰退中失业的人们提供生活保障，但可以承受借贷数千亿美元为2%的美国最富裕阶层减税的政策。这是糟糕的经济政策，而且不仅仅是错误这么简单。

Congress  must extend these needed unemployment benefits before it goes home for the  year.  And it must bolster economic  growth by preserving tax cuts for our middle class.  I’m glad that the House of Representatives  voted to do that this week, and I call on the United States Senate to do the  same.

国会必须在今年政策到期前延长失业救济金政策。同时延续对中产阶级的减税也将支撑我们经济的增长。我很高兴的看到本周参议院已经投票通过了这些议案，因此我也呼吁联邦参议院也支持这些做法。

Look,  there’s no doubt these are tough times.   But we are slowly but surely fighting our way back, moving  forward.  And we’re going to keep  fighting – to grow this economy, to strengthen our middle class, and to  restore the American Dream.  That’s my  pledge to you.

看看吧，毫无疑问我们面临时艰。但我们虽然缓慢但确实一直在为重返正途而努力，并不断向前。而且我们还将继续努力奋斗——为了经济增长，为了巩固我们的中产阶级，为了重燃美国梦。这是我对大家的承诺。

And  hey, one last thing – since the President will be back to record this message  next week, let me take this chance to say from my family to yours: Merry  Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, have a great Holiday season and an even better New  Year.

对了，还有件事儿，因为下周就将由总统先生为大家发表讲话了，我也借此机会祝福我家和所有家庭圣诞节快乐，光明节快乐，祝大家度过一个完美的假期，明年更美好！

Thanks,  and enjoy the weekend.

谢谢，周末愉快。