VOA标准英语2009-Senate Democrats Advance Health Care Reform

Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut announces the results of the cloture vote which paves the way for full-scale debate starting later this month

Cindy Saine | Washington 22 November 2009

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., speaks after the U.S. Senate voted to begin debate on legislation for a broad healthcare overhaul² at Capitol Hill in Washington on as Senate Majority Leader Harry³ Reid D-Nev., right, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa looks on, 21 Nov 2009

"On this vote, the yays are 60, the nays⁴ are 39, three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to," said Senator Christopher Dodd.

Democrats⁵ in the U.S. Senate have united to push health care reform legislation past a key procedural hurdle⁶, paving the way for full-scale debate starting later this month.  President Barack Obama has made passing sweeping⁷ health care reform his top domestic priority.

It was an unusual Saturday night showdown in the U.S. Senate on whether a health care reform bill pushed by Democrats should proceed to the floor for full debate.  Since all 40 Republicans were on record as opposing the bill, the Democrats did not have a single vote to spare, needing every Democrat¹ and Independent who normally votes with Democrats to cast their votes for it, or else have the vote dead before it ever reached the floor.

It was Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut who announced the results of the cloture vote.

"On this vote, the yays are 60, the nays are 39, three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to," said Dodd.

One Republican Senator, George Voinovich of Ohio, did not vote.

During a long day of debate Saturday, Senate Majority leader, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, had appealed to senators to advance the bill to the floor, saying it is their job to debate such a crucial issue.

"If senators refuse to debate about a profound crisis affecting every single citizen, the nation must ask 'What do you fear?', 'And whose voice do you speak and whose interest do you vote?" asked Reid.

Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky disagreed, saying the bill will make soaring health care costs go even higher, and place a greater burden on average Americans.

"And every senator who goes on record saying that we need to proceed to this monstrosity of a bill, will in effect be voting for higher taxes, higher premiums⁸ and cuts in medicare," he said.

The legislation would require most Americans to purchase health insurance and provide subsidies⁹ to those who cannot afford it.  The insurance industry would come under new regulation under the bill, which would ban the practice of denying coverage¹⁰ on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.  The House of Representatives passed its own version of a health care bill two weeks ago. 

The outcome of the Saturday night drama had actually been sealed earlier in the day, when two Democratic senators who had not pledged their support for the bill announced that they would vote for it to advance to debate.  One of them, Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, made clear that doing nothing is not an option.

"I have concluded that I believe it is more important that we begin this debate to improve our nation's health care system for all Americans, rather than just simply drop the issue and walk away," said Lincoln.

The Senate cloture vote paves the way for weeks of heated debate in the Senate on health care after the Thanksgiving holiday.  The White House issued a statement welcoming the outcome, saying the U.S. is now one step closer to extending quality health care to those Americans who lack it.  President Obama has said he hopes to have a health care bill on his desk before his State of the Union Address in January.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 nays   

n.反对票，投反对票者( nay的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tally was two ayes and three nays. 投票结果是两票赞成，三票反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tally was three yeas and two nays, so the yeas have it. 投票结果是三票赞成两票反对，投赞成票者胜利。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

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 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

8 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。