Obama Meeting With Labor Leaders on US 'Fiscal Cliff'-英语课

时间：2019-02-18 作者：英语课 分类：英语新闻

英语课

U.S. labor 1 leaders met with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, calling on him to reject deep cuts in pensions and health care for the elderly as he works to resolve crucial government financial issues by the end of the year.

Newly re-elected, Obama is turning this week toward a series of talks at the White House with union chiefs, corporate 2 executives and congressional leaders about the country's looming 3 "fiscal 4 cliff." The financial precipice 5 comprises $600 billion in mandated 6 spending cuts and tax increases set to take effect January 1. They are contentious 7 provisions the president and his Republican political opponents are seeking to avoid, but have been unable to reach agreement on for two years.
Major U.S. labor organizations lent vast funding and campaign support for Obama's re-election victory last week over Republican challenger Mitt 8 Romney. They share the president's wish to increase taxes on the country's wealthiest households, those making more than $250,000 a year. It's a tax law change opposed by Obama's Republican opponents in Congress.
But the labor leaders are also seeking assurances from Obama that he will maintain current spending for the government pension and health care plans for the elderly. The extent of spending for the two social programs is likely to be a focal point of negotiations 9 between the White House and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
After the meeting, Rich Trumka, president of the country's biggest federation 10 of unions, the AFL-CIO, said Obama shares the labor movement's goal of treating workers fairly.
"Are we going to collectively stand up and ensure that workers get a fair shake in America? Absolutely. Do we believe that the president is committed to that same thing? Absolutely," said Trumka.
On Wednesday, Obama is planning a news conference, as well as talks with executives from some of America's largest corporations, such as General Electric and American Express. Many of the U.S.'s most prominent financial titans supported Mr. Romney in the campaign, but the president is hoping to enlist 11 their support in persuading Republican lawmakers to vote for increasing taxes on the wealthiest families as part of what he has called a "balanced" plan of cutting spending and increasing government revenue.
The chief executives of 17 big U.S. companies have written lawmakers urging them to reach a compromise on the spending and tax issues.
Obama is meeting Friday with congressional leaders about how to resolve their long-standing stalemate. The president is leaving Washington Saturday on a four-day trip to Asia.

1 labor

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 corporate

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 looming

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近