VOA标准英语2009年-Obama to Order Overhaul of US Government Spendi

U.S. President Barack Obama is ordering changes in the way the federal government does business. The goal is to root out wasteful¹ spending in tough economic times.
　
President Barack Obama (file photo)

President Obama has proposed massive increases in federal spending as a way to stimulate² the economy. But at the same time, he says steps must be taken to make sure every dollar is spent wisely.

His latest target: the billions of dollars in government contracts awarded each year to private businesses.

Mr. Obama says the contracting system is broken, and far too much money is wasted.

"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 contractors³ or to maintain projects that don't work," the president said.

He says new rules will be drafted to ensure that all contracts give the best value for the dollar, and provide greater oversight⁴ and accountability. He says the savings⁵ could total roughly $40 billion each year.

"We are spending money on things that we don't need and we are paying more than we need to pay," he said.

The president says some of the biggest problems are in the area of defense⁶ 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."

"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.

Among those on hand for the president's announcement was Republican Senator John McCain, who ran against Mr. Obama in the 2008 election.

Senator McCain has long advocated strong measures to attack government waste. He has welcomed the action on procurement⁷, but says it is not enough.

Just hours before Mr. Obama spoke⁸, McCain blasted the president's decision to sign legislation designed to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal⁹ year. McCain said the bill is laden¹⁰ with unnecessary projects added by individual members of Congress.

1 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

2 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

3 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

10 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。