US 'Fiscal Cliff' Talks Moving Toward Compromise

 U.S. President Barack Obama and his political opponents in Congress are moving a bit closer to reaching a compromise over contentious¹ year-end financial issues.

No deal appears imminent², but officials say the leader of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner, met again with the president at the White House. For the first time Boehner offered to let taxes increase for wealthy households earning more than $1 million a year and to raise the country's borrowing limit.

Obama, the Democrat³ re-elected last month to another four-year term, campaigned to push taxes higher on couples with annual incomes of more than $250,000, but Boehner's offer suggests the two sides may yet be able to reach an agreement.

Despite the possibility of movement in the negotiations⁴, the two sides remain divided on what spending cuts the White House might agree to implement⁵.

Obama is calling for $1.4 trillion in higher taxes during the next decade, with Boehner offering $1 trillion. Obama's Republican opponents are calling for sharp spending cuts in popular government health programs for the elderly and poor, and pensions for older Americans.

The president and Boehner are trying to avert⁶ what Washington is calling a "fiscal⁷ cliff," about $500 billion in mandated⁸ spending cuts and tax increases that would affect almost all U.S. workers starting January 1, unless they agree on a new financial plan. Analysts⁹ say that without a compromise, the shock of the spending trims and higher taxes could send the U.S. spiraling into its second recession in three years.

The United States is also likely to reach its borrowing limit of $16.4 trillion by February and would then run out of money to pay some bills.  Mr. Obama wants to increase the borrowing limit as part of the year-end deal, and Boehner offered an unspecified increase in the debt ceiling that would put off a renewed debate on the issue for a year.

1 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

2 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

3 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。

4 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。

5 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

6 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。

7 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。

8 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。