President Barack Obama has signed legislation Tuesday to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, averting a potential government default only hours before the deadline. The president called the bill an important first step toward fiscal responsibility.
美国总统奥巴马星期二签字批准了提高国债上限的法案，在最后几个小时的关键时刻使美国避了一场可能出现的拖欠偿还债务的危机。奥巴马总统说，这是美国走向负责任的财政政策的重要第一步。
The president's signature on the legislation defuses what might have been a far-reaching crisis for the U.S. economy.
奥巴马签字批准后，这项法案避免了可能对美国经济造成深远影响的一场危机。
Minutes after the Senate passed the bill by a of vote of 74 to 26, Obama told reporters at the White House that the process of reducing the government's deficit has begun.
参议院以74票赞成、26票反对通过法案后数分钟之后，奥巴马在白宫的记者会上表示，减少美国政府赤字的行动已经开始。
"This compromise guarantees more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction," said Obama. "It is an important first step to insuring that, as a nation, we live within our means."
他说：“这项妥协法案将确保削减2万亿美元的赤字。这是我们迈出重要的第一步，今后作为一个国家，我们必须量入为出。”
The new law immediately allowed the Treasury to borrow an additional $400 billion, with more borrowing allowed later. It is also intended to reduce the nation's $14.3 trillion deficit by at least $2.1 trillion over 10 years. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Monday by a vote of 269 to 161, after weeks of intense debate.
新法律生效后财政部马上可以增加4千亿美元的借贷，借贷的数目今后还可以增加。法律还规定在今后十年至少将美国14.3万亿的国债削减2.1万亿。国会众议院星期一以269票赞成，161票反对通过了法案。
Under the bill, a bipartisan committee in Congress will work to find further savings in federal budgets.
根据法案，国会将成立一个两党委员会，寻找进一步缩减联邦开支的途径。
The president said the agreement requires that both major political parties work together on a larger plan to cut the federal budget deficit, which he said is important for the long-term health of the U.S. economy.
奥巴马总统说，协议要求两党合作制定更广泛的计划来削减政府预算赤字。他说，这对保持美国经济长期健康非常重要。
Obama said that plan would need to include cuts to social programs, a move that many Democrats oppose, and higher taxes, which many Republicans reject. Neither option was included in the compromise legislation.
奥巴马总统说，未来的这项计划需要包括削减社会福利项目，以及提高税收。很多民主党人反对削减社会福利项目，很多共和党人反对提高税收。 目前通过的这项法案中没有包括这样的内容。
"Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare, so they are there for future generations," Obama added. "It also means reforming our tax code, so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share."
奥巴马说：“没错，这需要我们做出调整、保护老人医疗保险制度等医保项目，以便未来的美国人民也能够享受到这些项目。这也意味着我们要改革税收法，让富裕阶层和大企业付出他们应该缴纳的税收。”
In addition, lawmakers will also consider a constitutional amendment requiring the government to balance its budget.
此外，国会还要讨论修正宪法，要求政府平衡预算。
Republican Senator John Barrasso said such an amendment would prevent another debt crisis.
共和党参议员布拉索说，这样的宪法修正案能够避免将来再出现债务危机。
"The question is, 'Are we going to be living by the same rules that apply to every family, every small business and 49 states, which is, that they cannot spend more money than they have?'" asked Barrasso.
他说：“现在我们需要问一个问题，‘我们是不是应该像每个美国家庭，每一个小企业和49个州都能做到的那样，有多少钱的收入才能花多少钱?’”
Obama angrily denounced lawmakers for allowing the debt debate to linger until hours before the default deadline. He said a "manufactured crisis" in Washington has hurt the struggling U.S. economy.
奥巴马总统严厉批评了国会让这场债务之争拖延到最后期限到来的几个小时以前。他说这场华盛顿“人为制造”的危机对处境艰难的美国经济造成了伤害。
"That was in our hands," Obama said. "It is pretty likely that the uncertainty surrounding the raising of the debt ceiling, for both businesses and consumers, has been unsettling and just one more impediment to the full recovery that we need. And it was something that we could have avoided entirely."
他说：“提高国债的争执造成的不确定性， 很可能令企业和消费者感到不安，是阻碍经济复苏的另一个障碍。而我们完全可以避免这种状况。”
The president said it should not take the risk of "economic catastrophe" to force lawmakers to work together and do their jobs. He said the priority now is for Democrats and Republicans to focus on creating jobs and reviving the U.S. economy.
奥巴马总统说，国会不应该等到经济灾难临头的时候才一起合作，履行他们应尽的职责。他说，现在的首要任务是民主党和共和党人一道集中力量创造就业，恢复美国经济。
The top House Democrat, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, agreed that lawmakers must immediately turn their attention to economic recovery.
国会众议院处于少数地位的民主党领袖佩洛西也认为国会议员们必须立刻将精力转向恢复经济。
"Yesterday we crossed a bridge," said Pelosi. "Enough talk about the debt. We have to talk about jobs."
她说：“昨天我们走过了一座桥梁。所以现在我们要停止讨论国债。我们要开始讨论创造就业了。”
Obama called on Congress to pass numerous bills that he said would strengthen the economy, including approving free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
奥巴马总统呼吁国会通过多项他认为有助于加强美国经济的法案，包括与哥伦比亚，巴拿马，韩国的自由贸易协议。 |