Senators agree on another round of emergency pandemic funding

Senators agree on another round of emergency pandemic funding

Transcript¹

Senators have reached a deal on $10 billion for additional COVID aid. It's far less than what the Biden administration wanted, but it's what lawmakers could agree to.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

U.S. senators say they have a deal to spend 10 billion more on COVID aid. That's on top of the nearly $6 trillion that was approved over the past two years to respond to the pandemic. Their new spending deal is far less than the Biden administration wanted, but it's what lawmakers from both parties would support. NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis has been watching the changes unfold and learning why some Democrats² aren't happy.

SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE³: Well, Biden had originally asked for more than double this amount. They had asked for $22.5 billion. And at first, they did get more from Congress. There was about $15 billion in COVID aid included in the annual spending bill Congress approved last month. But a group of House Democrats scuttled⁴ that money because they didn't like that it was paid for in part by redirecting funds away from their states. So that required lawmakers to start these negotiations⁵ all over again. And in order to get Republicans on board, they had to agree to have all of this new spending offset⁶. And $10 billion is basically the most they could agree to right now.

MARTINEZ: OK. So what is not getting funded in this package?

DAVIS: So this bill's is - this bill's focused on domestic needs. They dropped about $5 billion in international funding to combat the pandemic abroad - things like providing vaccines⁷ and the infrastructure⁸ to get them in arms distributed across other countries. This is a top concern for Republicans, as well. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed support for this funding. But they're in a bit of a timing⁹ pressure cooker. The White House wants this money fast, and they couldn't come up with the offsets¹⁰ for the international money. The White House supports this deal, but they made clear they still want that money. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says they're going to try again later this spring to do an international aid package that could include pandemic funding. And he said they might try to tie it to additional funding for Ukraine, which could make it easier to get it through Congress.

MARTINEZ: OK. So how is the 10 billion going to be spent?

DAVIS: So some of it's going to go to purchasing more vaccines, more booster shots and vaccines for kids. About half of this money is going to go to purchasing therapeutic¹¹ drug treatments for the sick, to stockpile things like antiviral medications. There's also money in there to maintaining testing capacities, to minimize the risk of those testing shortfalls if there's another surge or when there's another surge in cases. The White House says without the money, there could be shortages in tests and treatment as soon as May or June. There's also about a billion dollars in it for new research and clinical trials for the possible development of vaccines for any emerging variants¹².

MARTINEZ: Now, House Democrats already scuttled one COVID deal. How likely is this one to get through quickly, as the White House has requested?

DAVIS: Well, there's urgency to try to get it done as early as this week because Congress is about to adjourn¹³ for a two-week break for Easter. At least four Republican senators - Mitt¹⁴ Romney, Roy Blunt, Richard Burr, Lindsey Graham - all helped cut this deal. So it seems pretty likely they're going to have the bipartisan support they need to get it through the Senate. Again, that $10 billion is entirely¹⁵ paid for by redirecting other COVID funds. So it's not going to cost taxpayers¹⁶ any more money, which makes it a lot easier of a sell to Republicans. The House was not a major player in cutting this deal, basically because they blew up the first one. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will put this on the floor. I did speak to one senior House Democratic aide who said the attitude on that side of the Capitol was, you take what you can get and you live to fight another day for the rest.

MARTINEZ: NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis. Susan, thanks.

DAVIS: You're welcome.

MARTINEZ: And before we move on, we should mention that with the support of Republican Senators Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson looks all but certain to make history as the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme¹⁷ Court.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 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》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 scuttled   

v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice. 听到他的说话声，她赶紧跑开了。
• The thief scuttled off when he saw the policeman. 小偷看见警察来了便急忙跑掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

10 offsets   

n.开端( offset的名词复数 )；出发v.抵消( offset的第三人称单数 )；补偿；（为了比较的目的而）把…并列（或并置）；为（管道等）装支管

参考例句：

• The following paragraphs deal with intra-source offsets and the so-called \"bubble\" concept. 下面讨论污染源内部的补偿和所谓的“泡泡”概念。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The preceding paragraphs were concerned with inter-source offsets. 前文牵涉到污染源之间的补偿。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

12 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

13 adjourn   

v.（使）休会，（使）休庭

参考例句：

• The motion to adjourn was carried.休会的提议通过了。
• I am afraid the court may not adjourn until three or even later.我担心法庭要到3点或更晚时才会休庭。

14 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

16 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

17 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。