美国众议院否决贸易法案

 　　CAPITOL HILL—President Barack Obama says the failure of the House of Representatives to pass a measure to help American workers affected¹ by global trade pacts³ will “directly hurt about 100,000 workers and their communities.”

　　"For the sake of those workers, their families, and their communities, I urge those members of Congress who voted against Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to reconsider and stand up for American workers," the president said Saturday in his weekly address.

　　The president’s ambitious Asia-Pacific free trade agenda was dealt a serious blow Friday when the House of Representatives voted against the part of the trade package that would have given aid to workers who lost their jobs as a result of U.S. trade deals.

　　Obama’s fellow Democrats⁴, as well as Republicans, voted the measure down 302-126.

　　Obama: Failed Trade Bill Hurts US Workers

　　Even though lawmakers went on to narrowly approve so-called fast-track authority for Obama to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership⁵ (TPP) deal, the overall vote is far from a victory for the president. Republican lawmakers say they will try to bring the workers aid portion up for a new vote Tuesday.

　　Many Democrats are concerned TPP would send more American jobs overseas and hurt the environment. The workers' aid piece was initially⁶ included to appease⁷ Democrats and Mr. Obama went to Capitol Hill Friday morning to make a last minute appeal to key Democratic legislators.

　　Even so, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would oppose the legislation. Following the vote, she said in a statement that is time for both parties to negotiate a better deal for the American people."

　　"We look forward to working in a bipartisan way for a trade promotion⁸ authority bill that has better transparency, more consultation⁹ with Congress and stronger protections for congressional priorities — especially labor¹⁰ rights and the environment."

　　On the Republican side, House Speaker John Boehner, who supported the measure, said he was disappointed.

　　"Republicans did our part, and we remain committed to free trade because it is critical to creating jobs and growing our economy," he said. "This is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to take stock and move forward in a constructive¹¹ fashion on behalf of the American people.”

　　Most Republicans support free-trade agreements and therefore agreed with Obama, whom they oppose on most issues. But some tea party Republicans opposed giving the president more power to negotiate trade agreements, and were aligned¹² with progressive Democrats on this issue.

　　A broad coalition¹³ of labor unions, environmentalists and others had pushed hard against the trade agenda for months, with some Democrats saying the president had failed to convince them.

　　Representative Brad Sherman of California said, “Well, obviously he thinks this trade deal will help the American economy and help working families. The vast majority of Democrats and 100 percent of all those organizations of working people disagree.”

　　Claude Barfield of the center-right, Washington-based American Enterprise Institute called the results damaging to Obama’s presidency¹⁴.

　　“The president has made this his major goal for his second administration," Barfield said. "He’s actually gone all out in terms of lobbying for the bill — some things he has never done before.”

　　Analysts¹⁵ said the president's visit to the House just hours ahead of the vote was a risky¹⁶ and highly unusual gesture, but Barfield said the defeat was more than just a serious blow to the president: “It would be seen as a setback¹⁷ for the United States' ability to lead, certainly in Asia, and also later in Europe.”

　　At the daily White House briefing, press secretary Josh Earnest played down the defeat in Congress, calling it a temporary setback. He said the president would continue to aggressively lobby House Democrats, because he believes trade promotion authority is critical to forging TPP and other multinational¹⁸ trade agreements.

　　'Fast Track'

　　The fast track authority that was approved Friday would allow the White House to negotiate the 12-nation Asian trade pact² and others like it while preventing Congress from making any changes in the deals when they come up for approval or rejection¹⁹.

　　Refusal to grant the negotiating authority would make it much more difficult for the administration to secure the TPP deal, which is already years behind schedule.

　　The countries negotiating the TPP are the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, Peru, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Chile, Canada, Brunei, and Australia. The U.S.-led pact aims to cover nearly 40 percent of global economic output when completed.

　　The White House has said the TPP would help further break down global trade barriers, open untapped markets, and grow the economy, while providing an important counterbalance to the growing economic strength of China.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

3 pacts   

条约( pact的名词复数 )； 协定； 公约

参考例句：

• Vassals can no longer accept one-sided defensive pacts (!). 附庸国不会接受单方面的共同防御协定。
• Well, they are EU members now and have formed solidarity pacts with members such as Poland. 他们现在已经是欧盟的一部分了并且他们和欧盟成员诸如波兰等以签署了合作协议。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

8 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

9 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

10 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

参考例句：

• 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。

11 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

12 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

17 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

18 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

19 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。