美國債務磋商 黨派分歧依舊
With weeks to go before the United States risks defaulting on its $14 trillion national debt, Democrats and Republicans are sticking to conflicting, partisan prescriptions for improving the nation’s finances.
目前距離美國可能面對無法償還其14萬億美元國債的危險只有幾個星期的時間，民主黨人和共和黨人在改善國家財政的問題上仍然分歧依舊，各持己見。
Lawmakers of both major political parties agree the federal government must cut spending to reduce a $1.6 trillion deficit. But they disagree on how deeply to cut and whether additional revenues should be part of a formula to bridge the budget gap. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas on the Fox News Sunday television program.
民主、共和兩黨的議員們都同意，聯邦政府必須削減開支，以降低1萬6千億美元的赤字。但是他們在究竟削減多少開支，以及一個彌補預算虧空的解決方案是否應當包括增加新的稅收等問題上，依然意見不一。來自德克薩斯州的共和黨籍聯邦參議員約翰·科寧星期天在福克斯新聞頻道節目中說：
“Republicans are opposed to any tax hikes, particularly during a fragile economic recovery," he said. "The last thing that employers need is further disincentives to hire people, and that is what higher taxes would mean.
“共和黨人反對任何增稅措施，在經濟復甦依然脆弱的形勢下尤其如此。僱主們最不願意要的是妨礙他們僱用更多的人來擴大生意的舉措，而這正是更高的稅收帶給他們的結果。”
Instead of tax hikes, Cornyn advocates deep spending cuts in most federal endeavors other than national defense.
與增稅措施相反，約翰·科寧參議員主張大幅削減除了國防開支以外的絕大多數聯邦政府項目的開支。
Democrats say a one-sided approach to deficit reduction would stunt national progress and harm the vulnerable. President Barack Obama made the case for eliminating special tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy in his weekly radio address Saturday.
民主黨人則表示，單向削減赤字的做法將阻礙國家的發展，並傷害弱勢羣體。奧巴馬總統在他星期六發表的每週例行講話中提出要取消針對公司企業以及富人的特別稅收減免。
“If we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or for hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners, or for oil and gas companies pulling in huge profits without our help - then we will have to make even deeper cuts somewhere else," he said. "We have got to say to a student, ‘You do not get a college scholarship.’ We have to say to a medical researcher, ‘You cannot do that cancer research.’ We might have to tell seniors, ‘You have to pay more for Medicare.’”
他說：“如果我們選擇爲那些百萬、億萬富翁，對衝基金經理人，商務飛機的所有人，或者那些無需我們的幫助就能獲得巨大利潤的石油天然氣公司保留稅收減免，那麼，我們就得在其它地方更多地削減開支。我們就不得不告訴某個學生，你拿不到大學獎學金了；我們就不得不對某個醫學研究人員說，你無法再從事癌症研究了；我們可能就不得不告訴老年人說，你們得自己爲醫療保險支付更多的錢。”Senator Cornyn says he would support ending tax breaks as part of a larger tax-reform package in which overall tax rates are reduced, thereby making the initiative revenue-neutral. He does not favor altering the federal tax code to boost government revenue.
約翰·科寧參議員表示，他將支持一個包括取消稅收減免的措施的更大稅收改革方案，這個方案應該降低總體的稅率，因此新方案不會爲政府贏得額外的收入。他不支持改變聯邦稅法以增加政府的收入。
“I think the American people understand that raising taxes grows the size of the federal government," said Cornyn. "They want government to get smaller, not bigger. They feel government has become far too intrusive in their lives.”
他說：“我想美國人民懂得，增稅會增加聯邦政府的規模。他們希望政府變小，而不是變大。他們覺得政府介入他們的生活已經太多了。”
The partisan stand-off comes as an August 2 deadline looms for raising the federal borrowing limit. Absent a deal to cut the deficit and slow the growth rate of the national debt, many Republicans say they will not vote to increase the debt ceiling. Without additional borrowing authority, the federal government risks defaulting on its debt obligations, which could spark a financial crisis.
在今年8月2號提高聯邦債務上限的最後期限即將到來，黨派的紛爭對峙依舊。共和黨人說，如果就削減赤字、降低國債增長幅度達不成一項協議，他們將不會投票支持提高國債上限。如果失去了增加舉債的權力，聯邦政府在還債方面就會有違約的危險，而這可能引發一場金融危機。
Some Democrats have argued President Obama could end the standoff by challenging the constitutionality of the debt ceiling and ignoring the law. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that the public debt of the United States “shall not be questioned.” Senator Cornyn blasted any attempt to sidestep the debt ceiling as “crazy talk”, saying it would be an abdication of the president’s responsibility to arrive at a negotiated solution to the nation’s debt woes.
一些民主黨人提出，奧巴馬總統可以通過質疑所謂債務上限說法的合憲性，不理會相關法律來結束兩黨對峙的局面。美國憲法第14修正案說，美國的公共債務不應當受到質疑。約翰·科寧參議員猛烈抨擊任何想要逃避債務上限問題的企圖，說這都是癡人說夢。他表示，這簡直是把總統通過協商解決國家的債務困境，最終達成一項解決方案的責任正式放棄了。
