奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统呼吁国会尽早通过预算法案

Hi, everybody.



大家好。



It was five years ago this week that a financial crisis on Wall Street spread to Main Street, and very nearly turned a recession into a depression.



5年前的本周华尔街金融危机蔓延至中产阶级的经济危机，而这场危机差点将衰退变成萧条。



In a matter of months, millions of Americans were robbed of their jobs,



在短短几个月的时间里，数百万美国人失去了工作，



their homes, their savings-after a decade in which they'd already been working harder and harder to just get by.



失去了他们十多年间辛辛苦苦辛苦打拼下来的住房和存款。



It was a crisis from which we're still trying to recover.



直到现在，我们还在努力从这场危机中恢复过来。



But thanks to the grit 1 and determination of the American people, we are steadily 2 recovering.



但凭借美国人民的坚忍不拔，我们复苏的步伐很稳剑



Over the past three and a half years, our businesses have created seven and a half million new jobs.



过去的三年半时间里，我们的企业创造了750多万个工作岗位。



Our housing market is healing.



房产市场也开始回暖。



We've become less dependent on foreign oil.



我们对海外石油的依赖也在降低。



Health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.



医保成本支出的增长率也降到50年来的最低水平。



And in just over a week, millions of Americans without health care will be able to get covered for less than $100 a month.



而且再过一个星期，数百万没有医保的美国民众每月只要缴不到100美元就能获得医疗保险。



So our economy is gaining traction 3.



因此，我们的经济重获增长动力。



And we're finally tackling threats to middle-class prosperity that Washington neglected for far too long.



而且我们最终消除了华盛顿长期忽视的对中产阶级繁荣发展的威胁。



But as any middle-class family listening right now knows, we've got a long way to go to get to where we need to be.



但如同任何一个正在聆听的中产家庭所知道的，我们还远未达到我们应该达到的目标。



And after five years spent digging out of crisis, the last thing we need is for Washington to manufacture another.



在摆脱危机的5年时间里，我们最不想看到的就是华盛顿再次制造另一场危机。



But that's what will happen in the next few weeks if Congress doesn't meet two deadlines.



但如果国会不在未来几周的最后期限完成两件事就会重蹈覆辙。



First: the most basic Constitutional duty Congress has is passing a budget.



首当其冲的是宪法赋予国会最基本的职责就是通过预算法案。



But if it doesn't pass one before September 30th-a week from Monday-the government will shut down.



但如果预算未能在9月30日，也就是周一之后的一周时间之前通过，政府就将关闭。



And so will many services the American people expect.



那样很多美国人民生活所需的各种服务也将关闭。



Military personnel, including those deployed 4 overseas, won't get their paychecks on time.



军职人员，包括海外执行任务的人都不能按时发放工资。



Federal loans for rural communities, small business owners, and new home buyers will be frozen.



对农村地区、中小企业主以及购房者发放的联邦贷款也将冻结。



Critical research into life-saving discoveries and renewable energy will be immediately halted.



生命科学和可再生能源的尖端研究将即刻停止。



All of this will be prevented if Congress just passes a budget.



而如果国会通过了预算，这一切都将被避免。



Second: Congress must authorize 5 the Treasury 6 to pay America's bills.



其次:国会必须授权财政部偿还美国的债务。



This is done with a simple, usually routine vote to raise what's called the debt ceiling.



达到这一目的只需要进行简单的、例行的投票提高债务上限即可。



Since the 1950s, Congress has always passed it, and every President has signed it-Democrats 7 and Republicans, including President Reagan.



自20世纪50年代以来，国会总是这样通过方案，而历任总统无论是民主党人还是共和党人都会签署生效，包括里根总统在内。



And if this Congress doesn't do it within the next few weeks, the United States will default on its obligations and put our entire economy at risk.



如果本届国会未能在未来几周做好这件事情，美国就将拖欠债务并让整个经济置于风险之上。



This is important: raising the debt ceiling is not the same as approving more spending.



很重要的一点是：提高债务上限并不意味着批准花更多的钱。



It lets us pay for what Congress already spent.



这只是让我们可以偿还国会已经花出去的钱。



It doesn't cost a dime 8, or add a penny to our deficit 9.



并不需要花一分钱也不会给财政赤字增加负担。



In fact, right now, our deficits 10 are already falling at the fastest rate since the end of World War II.



实际上，当下，我们的赤字已经自二战之后以最快的速度下降，



And by the end of this year, we'll have cut our deficits by more than half since I took office.



而且自我任总统以来，到今年年底我们会将财政赤字减少一半还多。



But reducing our deficits and debt isn't even what the current standoff in Congress is about.



但降低财政赤字和债务并未在国会达成共识。



Now, Democrats and some reasonable Republicans are willing to raise the debt ceiling and pass a sensible budget-one that cuts spending on what we don't need so we can invest in what we do.



现在，民主党人和部分理性的共和党人都愿意提高债务上限，通过合理的预算，削减不必要的支出把钱投在需要的地方。



And I want to work with those Democrats and Republicans on a better bargain for the middle class.



我也想与这些民主党和共和党人一起努力，为中产阶级争取更多的保障。



But there's also a faction 11 on the far right of the Republican party who've convinced their leadership to threaten a government shutdown if they can't shut off the Affordable 12 Care Act.



但还有一个实事是，共和党内部有人说服其领导层，如果他们不能将《可负担医保法》推翻就威胁要让政府关闭。



Some are actually willing to plunge 13 America into default if they can't defund the Affordable Care Act.



一部分人很乐意看到如果不能把资金从《平价医保法》中抽出来，就要把美国拖入到债务违约中去。



Think about that.



想象一下。



They'd actually plunge this country back into recession-all to deny the basic security of health care to millions of Americans.



他们实际上是要把美国再次拖入衰退，拒绝为数百万美国民众提供基本的医疗保障。



Well, that's not happening.



这不会发生。



And they know it's not happening.



他们也知道这不会发生。



The United States of America is not a deadbeat nation.



美利坚合众国不是欠账不还的国家。



We are a compassionate 14 nation.



我们是一个充满同情心的国家。



We are the world's bedrock investment.



我们是全世界投资的基石。



And doing anything to threaten that is the height of irresponsibility.



而任何威胁到这个国家的事情都是极度不负责任的。



That's why I will not negotiate over the full faith and credit of the United States.



因此，在美国的信念和信用问题上，我不会妥协。



I will not allow anyone to harm this country's reputation, or threaten to inflict 15 economic pain on millions of our own people, just to make an ideological 16 point.



我不会让任何人伤害这个国家的名誉，或是仅仅因为一个观念问题威胁经济发展伤害我们自己的人民。



So, we are running out of time to fix this.



因此，我们正在抓紧时间解决这一问题。



But we could fix it tomorrow.



但我们不可能明天就搞定。



Both houses of Congress can take a simple vote to pay our bills on time, then work together to pass a budget on time.



参众两院可以通过简单的投票让我们按时偿还债务，也可以共同努力按时通过预算。



Then we can declare an end to governing by crisis and govern responsibly, by putting our focus back where it should always be-on creating new jobs, growing our economy, and expanding opportunity not just for ourselves, but for future generations.



接下来我们就可以宣布政府受危机支配的终结并通过将注意力重新放到我们应该关注的创造就业，促进经济增长，为我们自己更为未来一代创造更多机会上。



Thank you.



谢谢大家。