美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden and congressional leaders will face off in a high stakes debt ceiling meeting

Biden and congressional leaders will face off in a high stakes debt ceiling meeting

Transcript¹

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell insists he's backing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy when it comes to debt ceiling talks. He says it's up to the president to work out an agreement with McCarthy.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

President Biden and congressional leaders will have a very high-stakes meeting next week ahead of a June 1 deadline. That's the day when the country could breach² the debt ceiling. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he'll be at the meeting but thinks a deal will ultimately be up to Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MITCH MCCONNELL: It should be clear to the administration that the Senate is not a relevant player this time. They have got to have a measure that can pass the House. How does it pass the House? It has to have the support of the speaker, and I'm behind the speaker.

MART?NEZ: McCarthy and other House Republicans have said they won't address the debt limit unless they get significant cuts in future government spending in return. NPR's congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us this morning.

Claudia, Leader McConnell was a key player in previous standoffs over the debt limit. But now he says the Biden White House will have to find a deal with McCarthy. What does this mean for the negotiations³?

CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE⁴: Right. McConnell repeatedly told reporters this would be the message he would take to the president - that he needs to negotiate with McCarthy. Biden and McConnell have a long-running relationship. It goes back to their days working together in the Senate. And McConnell helped clear the way for Democrats⁵ to address the debt limit in another faceoff in 2021. But McCarthy is a much less familiar opponent for Biden on these negotiations, and he represents a conference that includes extreme wings of the Republican Party. And House Republicans have significant demands here, which are detailed⁶ in a bill they passed last week pushing for big spending cuts and policy changes.

MART?NEZ: And how are Democrats responding to these plans?

GRISALES: Democrats have reiterated⁷ that this Republican bill is dead on arrival in the Senate and that Congress should separately pass a so-called clean debt limit bill to lift this ceiling without any preconditions. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer talked about this to reporters.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHUCK SCHUMER: So the time to discuss those cuts is not hostage-taking with the debt ceiling. That is too dangerous. The time to discuss it is afterwards, as we usually do in the budget and appropriations⁸ process.

GRISALES: The Republican bill proposes cuts in exchange for lifting the debt limit by 1.5 trillion or by March of next year, whichever happens first. And Democrats are ramping⁹ up their messaging with Senate hearings focused on their concerns with this legislation, with a first hearing on Thursday focused on how proposed GOP cuts could hurt individuals who rely on federal assistance for access to food.

MART?NEZ: All right. So at the moment, no clear solution, even with that deadline - what? - less than a month away. So do Democrats see any alternatives to bypassing GOP opposition¹⁰?

GRISALES: They do, but there's mainly long shots that they're looking at. For example, we're seeing Democrats in both chambers¹¹ lining¹² up procedural moves to try to vote on this clean debt limit bill. Schumer has started the legislative¹³ process in the Senate for that, but it would need Republican support to move forward. And as we heard at the top, Senate Republicans are sticking with McCarthy for now.

In the House, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a Dear Colleague letter that House Democrats have a legislative vehicle available now to push such a bill forward past Republican leadership. But it would require a petition with all Democrats and five Republicans on board. And right now, there's no sign any GOP members would agree. That leaves all eyes on this meeting next week for what many hope will be a breakthrough to avert¹⁴ those financial default worries for the country.

MART?NEZ: That is NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales.

Thanks.

GRISALES: Thank you much.

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 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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》

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

8 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

9 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

12 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

13 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

14 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。