The House of Representatives approved legislation on Thursday by a vote of 328 to 93 that would heavily tax employee bonuses handed out by companies receiving government bailout funds.
美国国会众议院星期四投票，以328票赞成，93票反对，通过一项法案，针对那些接受政府救援资金的公司向其雇员发放巨额奖金征收重税。
The measure, crafted by majority Democrats, was rushed to the chamber floor amid ongoing anger over bonuses paid by the huge insurance conglomerate, American International Group, or AIG.
在保险业巨头美国国际集团向其高级主管发放巨额奖金而引起众怒之后，在国会占多数的民主党迅速起草了这一法案并立即付诸表决。
The legislation would recover money by imposing a 90 percent tax on corporate employees who got payouts from companies that received at least $5 billion from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.
根据这项法案，凡是从联邦政府的问题资产救助计划中获得至少50亿美元救助资金的公司，其雇员必须把从公司领取的奖金按90%的税率上缴国库。
Targeted are highly-paid employees with annual family incomes exceeding $250,000. But the measure would apply to dozens of financial institutions and banks involved in the government rescue program.
这项法案针对的目标是几十家接受政府救助的金融机构和银行中家庭收入超过25万美元的高薪雇员。
In debate, Democrats said the legislation responds to public frustration over million dollar bonuses at a time when Americans are trying to cope with an economic recession, a credit crisis and massive job losses.
在国会进行辩论时，民主党人说，正当美国人民努力抵御经济衰退、信贷危机和大批失业的时候，那些拿了纳税人的钱的公司，却给自己的雇员发放数以百万美元计的奖金，这种行为引起美国公众的愤怒，而这个法案正是对这种公愤做出的反应。
Democrat Charles Rangel, who initially opposed using taxes to recover the government funds, says lawmakers are not trying to dictate to the private sector, but are sending a message.
民主党众议员查尔斯·兰格尔最初反对通过征税手段来收回政府资金，但是这次却亲自起草了这个法案。他表示，国会议员们并非试图对私营企业指手划脚，而是要发出一个信息。
"It's not our job to tell the private sector what to do. It is our job to say, 'You don't do it at taxpayer's expense,'" Rangel said.
“我们的工作并不是告诉私营企业去做什么。我们的责任是要告诉他们，‘你们不能把纳税人当作牺牲品。’”
Republicans called the bill a "political charade," asserting that the Obama administration knew well in advance that AIG, which received tens of billions of dollars in federal aid, would be paying bonuses.
然而共和党人称这个法案是一场“政治游戏，”并且声称奥巴马政府事先就清楚地知道，接受联邦政府数百亿美元救助资金的美国国际集团会向雇员发放奖金。
Many Republicans, including House Minority Leader John Boehner, point to a provision in the $787 billion economic stimulus bill Congress approved last month as proof that the Obama administration could have stopped the bonuses.
很多共和党议员，包括众议院少数党领袖约翰·博纳，都指出，在国会上个月批准的7870亿美元的经济刺激法案中，有一项规定证明，奥巴马政府完全可以阻止美国国际集团等公司发放那些奖金。
"This political circus that's going on here today with this bill is not getting to the questions of: 'Who knew what and when did they know it,'" Boehner asked.
“今天关于这个法案的政治闹剧并没有涉及到一个关键的问题，那就是：‘谁知道什么和他们是什么时候知道的？’”
Controversy continued to swirl around the stimulus bill provision that effectively authorized bonuses at companies receiving taxpayer bailouts as long as they were locked in before February 11th. This includes $165 million handed out by AIG.
经济刺激法案中包含的条款授权接受纳税人救助的公司发放在2月11日前锁定的奖金，其中包括美国国际集团已经发放的1亿6500万美元奖金。这些条款引起的争议持续发酵。
Senate Banking Committee Chairman, Democrat Christopher Dodd says he yielded to Obama administration requests including the provision. Administration officials, said Dodd, gave no indication it was related to AIG.
参议院银行委员会主席、民主党籍的克里斯托弗·多德说，他同意了奥巴马政府加入这些条款的要求。多德说，行政当局官员没有告诉他条款涉及美国国际集团。
Senate Republicans echoed Representative Boehner's assertions that President Obama, in signing stimulus legislation, accepted language approving the AIG bonuses.
共和党籍参议员附和众议院少数党领袖博纳的说法。博纳认为，奥巴马总统签署了经济刺激法案，实际上就等于接受了批准美国国际集团发放奖金的条款。
Senator John Cornyn referred to remarks by President Obama in which he said he would shoulder the ultimate responsibility for the government's failure to stop the bonuses.
共和党籍参议员约翰·科尔宁对于奥巴马总统愿意为政府没能阻止奖金发放而承担最终责任的说法做出评论。
"The president graciously said, 'You know what, the buck stops with me.' But I have to say that is not a good enough answer. We have to know what happened; why it happened, so it won't happen again," Cornyn said.
他说：“总统非常有风度地说，最终责任在我这里。但我要说，这个表态并不够好。我们必须知道，发生了什么?为什么发生?这样才能下不为例。”
There was more fiery debate as Democrats and Republicans clashed over a non-binding "sense of the Congress" resolution, also crafted by Democrats.
此外，在民主党议员起草的一项旨在表达国会态度，但不具有法律约束力的提案上，两党也展开针锋相对的辩论。
That measure states that President Obama is appropriately exercising authorities Congress granted him in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, including steps to recover funds from AIG and prevent companies receiving TARP funds from giving excessive non-performance related compensation payments.
这项提案说，奥巴马总统正在妥善地行使紧急经济稳定法案授予他的权力。其中包括采取措施追缴美国国际集团已经发出的奖金，同时阻止接受不良资产救助计划(TARP)资金的公司发放过量的与业绩无关的薪酬。
Representative Spencer Bachus of Texas and other Republicans asserted that Democrats were forcing a symbolic endorsement of President Obama's policies when questions remain about the administration actions.
德克萨斯州众议员和其它共和党议员坚持认为，民主党这样做是为了象征性地认同奥巴马总统的政策，而实际上，行政当局的一些做法仍值得商榷。
"How can we come here today after all we and the American people have learned this week, and say that everything the president has done is appropriate? The American people recognize the absurdity of such a statement, and so should we," said Bachus.
“在我们和美国人民这个星期了解到发生的情况之后，我们怎么可以在这里说，总统的所有做法都是正确的? 美国人民意识到这样说有多么荒谬。我们也应该意识到这一点。”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said House actions were sending two important messages.
不过，众议院民主党领袖佩洛西说，这项草案可以传达两个重要信息。
"One is that the administration should continue in its efforts to recover the money and prevent these bonuses from going forward. And the other is that we want our money back and we want our money back now for the taxpayers," Pelosi said.
佩洛：“一个是，行政当局应该继续追缴这些资金，并防止这些奖金被发放。另外，我们希望把这些钱要回来，我们要为美国纳税人追讨这些钱。”
Legislation focused on AIG and other companies is also underway in the Senate, where one measure would impose a 35 percent tax on companies paying bonuses and a 35 percent tax on employees receiving them.
在参议院，涉及美国国际集团和其它公司的议案也在拟议当中。其中一项要求给发放奖金的公司和接受奖金的雇员征税百分之35。
Meanwhile, more disturbing news emerged from a House committee hearing as it was revealed that more than a dozen companies receiving government bailout funds owe millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.
Representative John Lewis said a House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee examination of tax records showed that 13 of 23 companies benefiting from TARP owe more than $220 million, with two companies owing more than $100 million each. |