2007年VOA标准英语-US Lawmakers Offer Measure to Ease Embargo Agai

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
21 June 2007

A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers Thursday introduced legislation that would boost agricultural trade with Cuba and lift the U.S. travel ban to the communist-ruled island nation.  VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Fidel Castro (file photo)

The United States forbids its citizens from traveling to Cuba or doing business with that country, although Congress in 2000 did authorize² limited food and medicine exports there that are purchased with cash.

The Bush administration defends the embargo³, put in place in 1962, saying it is necessary to press the communist-led government toward democratic change.

The United States and Cuba do not have diplomatic relations.

But critics, including Republican Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, say the U.S. embargo has outlived its purpose:

"The only ones who are hurt by our efforts to try to isolate⁴ Cuba in trade are our producers here in America," he said.  "Those who have benefited are Brazil or China or Vietnam or other places who are glad to step in and pick up these markets."

Senator Crapo is one of several House and Senate lawmakers from both political parties who have introduced two companion bills aimed at easing the embargo by lifting the travel ban and boosting agricultural trade with Cuba.

One bill overturns a 2005 Treasury⁵ Department rule that imposed restrictions⁶ on agricultural sales to Cuba.  Sponsors of the measure say the restrictions, including a requirement that shipments be paid for in full before leaving U.S. ports, have effectively reduced agricultural exports to Cuba.

Senator Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat¹, is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee:

"We not only intend to allow cash-based food sales to Cuba, we mean to promote them," he explained.  "Our bill will make these sales cheaper and easier to pursue, especially for smaller exporters, and requires USDA to promote agriculture sales to Cuba just like other growth markets."

The other bill introduced Thursday lifts all restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba.  Current law only allows limited travel by Cuban-Americans, religious groups, and academics.  All such travel has been severely⁷ curtailed⁸ by the Treasury Department since 2001.

Previous efforts to lift the ban on trade and travel to Cuba have not succeeded amid White House veto threats.

But Senator Baucus believes there is growing congressional support for easing the embargo on Cuba, and he argues that President Bush, with his low ratings in public opinion polls and about a year and a half left in his term, is wielding⁹ less influence with Congress.

"His power in Congress is diminishing by the day, and it is my hope, therefore, that we can get this passed, and we are going to keep working at it until we get it done," he said.

House and Senate committees are expected to take up the legislation in the coming months.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

3 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

4 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

8 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。