Obama's Weekly Address WEEKLY ADDRESS: Congress Must Act Now to Pass a Budget and Raise the Debt Ceiling

奧巴馬每周電視講話:總統呼吁國會盡早通過預算法案

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年前的本周華爾街金融危機蔓延至中產階級的經濟危機，而這場危機差點將衰退變成蕭條。

In a matter of months, millions of Americans were robbed of their jobs, their homes, their savings-after a decade in which they'd already been working harder and harder to just get by.

在短短幾個月的時間里，數百萬美國人失去了工作，失去了他們十多年間辛辛苦苦辛苦打拼下來的住房和存款。

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

直到現在，我們還在努力從這場危機中恢復過來。

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

但憑借美國人民的堅忍不拔，我們復蘇的步伐很穩健。

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

過去的三年半時間里，我們的企業創造了750多萬個工作崗位。

Our housing market is healing.

房產市場也開始回暖。

We've become less dependent on foreign oil.

我們對海外石油的依賴也在降低。

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

醫保成本支出的增長率也降到50年來的最低水平。

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

而且再過一個星期，數百萬沒有醫保的美國民眾每月只要繳不到100美元就能獲得醫療保險。

So our economy is gaining traction.

因此，我們的經濟重獲增長動力。

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

而且我們最終消除了華盛頓長期忽視的對中產階級繁榮發展的威脅。

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.

但如同任何一個正在聆聽的中產家庭所知道的，我們還遠未達到我們應該達到的目標。

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

在擺脫危機的5年時間里，我們最不想看到的就是華盛頓再次制造另一場危機。

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

但如果國會不在未來幾周的最后期限完成兩件事就會重蹈覆轍。

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

首當其沖的是憲法賦予國會最基本的職責就是通過預算法案。

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

但如果預算未能在9月30日，也就是周一之后的一周時間之前通過，政府就將關閉。

And so will many services the American people expect.

那樣很多美國人民生活所需的各種服務也將關閉。

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

軍職人員，包括海外執行任務的人都不能按時發放工資。

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

對農村地區、中小企業主以及購房者發放的聯邦貸款也將凍結。

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

生命科學和可再生能源的尖端研究將即刻停止。

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

而如果國會通過了預算，這一切都將被避免。

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

其次:國會必須授權財政部償還美國的債務。

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

達到這一目的只需要進行簡單的、例行的投票提高債務上限即可。

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

自20世紀50年代以來，國會總是這樣通過方案，而歷任總統無論是民主黨人還是共和黨人都會簽署生效，包括里根總統在內。

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.

如果本屆國會未能在未來幾周做好這件事情，美國就將拖欠債務并讓整個經濟置于風險之上。

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

很重要的一點是：提高債務上限并不意味著批準花更多的錢。

It lets us pay for what Congress already spent.

這只是讓我們可以償還國會已經花出去的錢。

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

并不需要花一分錢也不會給財政赤字增加負擔。

In fact, right now, our deficits are already falling at the fastest rate since the end of World War II. And by the end of this year, we'll have cut our deficits by more than half since I took office.

實際上，當下，我們的赤字已經自二戰之后以最快的速度下降，而且自我任總統以來，到今年年底我們會將財政赤字減少一半還多。

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

但降低財政赤字和債務并未在國會達成共識。

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.

現在，民主黨人和部分理性的共和黨人都愿意提高債務上限，通過合理的預算，削減不必要的支出把錢投在需要的地方。

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

我也想與這些民主黨和共和黨人一起努力，為中產階級爭取更多的保障。

But there's also a faction 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 Care Act.

但還有一個實事是，共和黨內部有人說服其領導層，如果他們不能將《可負擔醫保法》推翻就威脅要讓政府關閉。

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

一部分人很樂意看到如果不能把資金從《平價醫保法》中抽出來，就要把美國拖入到債務違約中去。

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.

他們實際上是要把美國再次拖入衰退，拒絕為數百萬美國民眾提供基本的醫療保障。

Well, that's not happening.

這不會發生。

And they know it's not happening.

他們也知道這不會發生。

The United States of America is not a deadbeat nation.

美利堅合眾國不是欠賬不還的國家。

We are a compassionate nation.

我們是一個充滿同情心的國家。

We are the world's bedrock investment.

我們是全世界投資的基石。

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

而任何威脅到這個國家的事情都是極度不負責任的。

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

因此，在美國的信念和信用問題上，我不會妥協。

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

我不會讓任何人傷害這個國家的名譽，或是僅僅因為一個觀念問題威脅經濟發展傷害我們自己的人民。

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

因此，我們正在抓緊時間解決這一問題。

But we could fix it tomorrow.

但我們不可能明天就搞定。

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

參眾兩院可以通過簡單的投票讓我們按時償還債務，也可以共同努力按時通過預算。

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.

接下來我們就可以宣布政府受危機支配的終結并通過將注意力重新放到我們應該關注的創造就業，促進經濟增長，為我們自己更為未來一代創造更多機會上。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

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