2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Campaigns for Budget

By Scott Stearns
White House
06 February 2007

U.S. President George Bush is defending his latest budget request to Congress, saying it will balance federal spending within five years.  VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush holds up a pile of earmarks as he speaks about the economy at Micron Technology

President Bush says he has done the hard work in this budget to set clear priorities for America's future.

"The number one priority is to spend monies necessary to defeat an enemy who wants to cause us harm," he said.  "One of the lessons of September 11 is that chaos¹ and safe haven² overseas can cause an enemy to come and harm us.  And I am never going to forget the lesson."

This is the president's first budget that includes long-term estimates for the costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Mr. Bush is asking Congress for $145 billion for Iraq for 2008.  That amount is separate from the additional $100 billion he is asking Congress to approve for the current 2007 fiscal³ year.

Speaking at a technology firm in the state of Virginia, the president said his $2.9 trillion spending plan for 2008 will balance the budget in five years without raising taxes.

"I think raising taxes hurts the economy," he added. "I think raising taxes makes it harder to sustain economic growth.  I think if we raise taxes, it makes it harder for this company to invest billions of dollars in new equipment.  And if this company decides not to invest billions of dollars in new equipment, it makes it harder for your wages to go up."

The president again called for Congress to make permanent his record tax cuts.  Those cuts were passed when the president's political party controlled the legislature.

Both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposition⁴ Democratic Party.  Democrats⁵ have questioned the need to maintain those tax cuts during a time of war.  Some opposition lawmakers say the president's budget leads the nation deeper into debt.

Asked if it is fair to say the president's plan does not raise taxes when its health-care provisions would boost fees for some higher earners, a White House spokeswoman said the plan is cost neutral.  She says there would be some people who would possibly have additional taxes, but that totally obscures the president's policy as a vast majority of Americans would save money with the plan.

1 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

2 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

3 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 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》