Economics Report - The United States Postal Service Warns of Default
经济报道 - 美国邮政面临违约
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
The United States Postal Service has a history as long as the nation's. The Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General in seventeen seventy-five.
美国邮政总局（以下简称美国邮政）拥有和美国一样长的历史。1775年美国第二届大陆会议任命本杰明·富兰克林（Benjamin Franklin）担任首任邮政总局局长。
注：美国邮政总局也叫美国邮政服务公司，前身是美国邮政部，现在是一家独立的美国政府代理机构。尽管如此，公司的11个董事会成员当中，还有9名是需要美国总统直接任命的。
This week, current Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe brought an urgent message to a Senate committee. He told the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that the Post Office could need more money by the end of the month.
本周，现任邮政总局局长帕特里克·多纳霍（Patrick Donahoe）给参议院国家安全和政府事物委员会带来了一个紧急消息。他对该委员会表示，美国邮政在月底前可能需要更多资金。
PATRICK DONAHOE: " Without the enactment of comprehensive legislation by September 30, the Postal Service will default on a mandated 5.5 billion dollar payment to the Treasury to pre-fund retirement retiree health benefits. Our situation is urgent."
多纳霍：“如果在9月30日前不能出台全面立法，美国邮政可能在向财政部预付退休人员医疗福利的55亿美元授权上违约。形势非常紧迫。”
The Postal Service had losses of almost six billion dollars for the nine-month period ending in June. That could grow to ten billion for the year. Part of the deficit is a five and a half billion dollar payment to the federal retirement plan for postal workers.
在截至今年6月份的9个月期间，美国邮政已经累计亏损近60亿美元，全年亏损可能增加到100亿美元。其中55亿美元赤字用于给员工支付联邦退休计划。
Mister Donahoe is asking Congress to approve huge changes to the Postal Service. He wants to cut over one hundred thousand workers, close thousands of post offices and end Saturday mail delivery. He says the service needs to operate more like a business.
多纳霍先生要求国会批准对美国邮政大幅改革。他希望裁减10万名员工，关闭数千家邮局，并停止周六派送。他表示，美国邮政的运作应该更像一家企业。
PATRICK DONAHOE: "As a self-financing entity that depends on the sale of postage for its revenues, the Postal Service requires the ability to operate more as a business does."
多纳霍：“作为一个自负盈亏，依赖邮资收入的实体，美国邮政需要能够更像企业般的运作。”
The Postal Service is responsible for its own financing and not part of the federal budget. But it does take part in federal retirement and health plans. It says it has paid too much to federal retirement plans and wants at least seven billion dollars returned.
美国邮政自负盈亏，不在联邦预算之内。但却参与了联邦退休和医疗计划。美国邮政表示其在联邦退休计划上支出过多，并希望至少返还70亿美元。
Mister Donahoe also wants to pull the Postal Service out of the federal benefit plans. He says the service's proposals could cut twenty billion dollars by twenty fifteen and return it to profitability.
多纳霍先生还希望美国邮政退出联邦福利计划。他表示，到2015年，这一提议可以为美国邮政削减200亿美元，并使其重归盈利。
John Berry is director of the federal Office of Personnel Management which supervises federal retirement and health plans. He said the Obama administration would soon announce its own plan.
约翰·贝里（John Berry）是联邦人事管理局负责人，负责监督联邦退休和医疗计划。他表示，奥巴马政府很快将宣布自己的计划。
At the hearing, Senator Susan Collins criticized the administration for not having a plan already. Leaders of two labor unions representing postal workers have also criticized the proposed cuts.
在听证会上，参议员苏珊·柯林斯（Susan Collins）批评当局计划尚未出台。代表邮政员工的两家工会领导也对削减提议提出了批评。
The United States Postal Service has over five hundred sixty thousand employees. It reported revenue of sixty-seven billion dollars last year -- more than either of its biggest private competitors, FedEx or UPS. But as the amount of physical mail decreases, so too have the earnings from Postal Service operations.
美国邮政拥有超过56万员工。去年报告收入为670亿美元，超过其两家最大的竞争对手联邦快递（FedEx）和联合包裹服务公司（UPS）。但随着普通邮件的锐减，美国邮政的经营收入也大为减少。
Committee member Joseph Lieberman noted the need for change.
该委员会委员约瑟夫·利伯曼（Joseph Lieberman）指出了变革的势在必行。
JOSEPH LIEBERMAN: "The US Postal Service is not an 18th Century relic. It is a great 21st Century national asset. But times are changing rapidly now, and so too must the Postal Service if it is to survive."
利伯曼：“美国邮政不是18世纪的遗物，而是21世纪的伟大国宝。但在时代瞬息万变的现在，美国邮政想要生存也必须有所变革。”
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.
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Contributing Michael Bowman |