U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering changes in the way the federal government does business. The goal is to root out wasteful spending in tough economic times.
美国总统奥巴马下令改变联邦政府的运作方式，目的是在经济困难时期根除那些浪费性的开支。
President Obama has proposed massive increases in federal spending as a way to stimulate the economy. But at the same time, he says steps must be taken to make sure every dollar is spent wisely.
奥巴马总统提议通过大规模增加联邦政府的开支来刺激经济增长。但是与此同时，他说，必需采取步骤来确保每花每一块钱都精打细算。
His latest target: the billions of dollars in government contracts awarded each year to private businesses.
根据奥巴马总统的最新规划，政府每年都会跟私营企业签署数百亿美元的采购承包合同。
Mr. Obama says the contracting system is broken, and far too much money is wasted.
可是奥巴马总统说，政府的采购承包系统百孔千疮，太多的资金被白白浪费了。
"There is a fundamental public trust that we must uphold. The American people's money must be spent to advance their priorities, not to line the pockets of contractors or to maintain projects that don't work," the president said.
“我们必需获得广大公众最基本的信任。必需把美国人民的钱花在他们最急需的地方，而不是让承包商中饱私囊，或者用来维持一些根本没用的项目。”
He says new rules will be drafted to ensure that all contracts give the best value for the dollar, and provide greater oversight and accountability. He says the savings could total roughly $40 billion each year.
奥巴马总统表示，新起草的政府采购承包条例必需确保所有的合同都能使每一块钱花得适得其所，同时加强监督管理和责任制。他说，这样每年总共可以节约大约400亿美元。
"We are spending money on things that we don't need and we are paying more than we need to pay," he said.
“我们现在把很多钱都花在了我们根本不需要的东西上，我们支付的款项远远超过了我们需要支付的额度。”
The president says some of the biggest problems are in the area of defense contracting, where cost overruns are fairly common. Mr. Obama also singles out the awarding of contracts for goods and services in Iraq. He says no longer will contractors be given "a blank check."
奥巴马总统指出，一些最大的问题是在国防承包领域，在这方面，超额花费已经是司空见惯了。奥巴马总统特别指出，在颁发用于伊拉克的货物和服务的承包合同过程中，问题尤其严重。他表示，再也不能给承包商发放空白支票了。
"In Iraq, too much money has been paid out for services that were never performed, buildings that were never completed, [and] companies that skimmed off the top [overcharged and kept the money]," the president said.
“在伊拉克，很多钱虽然支付了，但是相关的服务确从来没有兑现，相关的建筑也从来没有完工，只便宜了从中大把揩油的承包公司。”
Among those on hand for the president's announcement was Republican Senator John McCain, who ran against Mr. Obama in the 2008 election.
在奥巴马总统就政府采购改革计划发表讲话的时候，站在他身旁的人们当中，有一位是去年跟他角逐白宫总统宝座的共和党参议员麦凯恩。
Senator McCain has long advocated strong measures to attack government waste. He has welcomed the action on procurement, but says it is not enough.
长期以来，麦凯恩参议员一直大力提倡采取措施制止政府经费的浪费。他欢迎奥巴马总统在政府采购方面所采取的行动，可是他说这是不够的。
Just hours before Mr. Obama spoke, McCain blasted the president's decision to sign legislation designed to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. McCain said the bill is laden with unnecessary projects added by individual members of Congress.
就在奥巴马总统讲话几个小时之前，麦凯恩参议员还严厉批评奥巴马总统决定签署一个为联邦政府在本财政年度剩余时间提供资金的法案。麦凯恩说，这个法案充满不必要的项目，这些项目都是个别国会议员塞进去的。 |