美国国家公共电台 NPR 6 Priorities Congress Has To Deal With In 12 Days

 

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Congress is back in Washington, and it's going to be a hectic¹ September. Lawmakers were already facing urgent deadlines to avert² a government shutdown and to raise the nation's debt limit. But then Hurricane Harvey hit, and today the Trump³ administration announced a six-month phaseout of DACA, the Deferred⁴ Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It's the Obama-era program that provides temporary legal status to those who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. Well, Congress now has until March to come up with a legislative⁵ solution, but some leaders in Congress want to add it to September's to-do list.

Joining us now is NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis. Hello, Susan.

SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE⁶: Hey, Robert.

SIEGEL: How are lawmakers responding to President Trump's decision to put it to Congress to address the fate of people in the DACA program?

DAVIS: Two of the Senate's leaders on this issue, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, held a press conference today. And in their own way, both of them say this is an opportunity for Congress to finally act on this legislation. Senator Durbin said that now was as good a time as any. And here's what he had to say.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

RICHARD DURBIN: So we have plenty of time, right? Not by Senate standards we don't. Who knows what next month's topic du jour is going to be? Is it going to be Kim Jong Un? Is it going to be Irma, Harvey? What's it going to be? Let's move and do it now. That's why we think it's important to make the DREAM Act the law of the land now.

DAVIS: Now, Senator Durbin is the No. 2 Democrat⁷ in the Senate, but he is not in the majority. So a note of caution here - Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, has not yet committed to acting⁸ on this in September. What we do know is there is real bipartisan interest in doing it now versus⁹ waiting for March.

SIEGEL: But this is not a novel problem. The first version of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship¹⁰ for these kids and young adults, was introduced 16 years ago. If Congress hasn't been able to pass a bill over the past 16 years, what confidence do lawmakers have that they can do it by March?

DAVIS: There is good reason to be skeptical¹¹ they can - they cannot do it. However, Senator Graham said today that he believed that this might be just the right time and a unique opportunity. Here's what he had to say.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

LINDSEY GRAHAM: To those in the Republican Party who vote no, I respect it. I respect your decision. But let's have a healthy debate. Make the case that these kids don't belong here. I'll say I'm going to make the case they do. And we're all going to vote. So from a Republican Party point of view, this is a defining moment.

DAVIS: Now, Senator Graham said he believes that half of all Senate Republicans would vote for the DREAM Act if a vote on it was held today. He believes that the House is going to be a tougher climb, and that he called on President Trump to engage personally to get on the phones, to work the phones to try and get it done.

SIEGEL: Let's turn to Hurricane Harvey now. The administration has asked Congress for a nearly $8 billion aid package as an initial down payment. What's the status of that legislation?

DAVIS: The House is going to vote on that bill tomorrow morning. It's expected to pass with a big bipartisan vote. It then heads immediately to the Senate, where they are hopeful for an equally quick and bipartisan vote.

SIEGEL: And the administration is asking Congress to attach to the hurricane legislation a clean debt limit increase that has no strings¹² attached. Republicans have resisted that approach in the past. This time?

DAVIS: It seems to be moving in that direction despite the objections still of some conservatives. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the floor today indicated they will be linking those two bills for precisely¹³ the reason that that's what the Trump administration is asking them to do.

SIEGEL: One other point. Donald Trump over the August recess¹⁴ suggested that he might be willing to shut down the government if Congress sends him a spending bill that doesn't include any money for the border wall with Mexico. How seriously are lawmakers taking that threat?

DAVIS: You know, the White House has walked back its tone on that front. Harvey has obviously shifted the political calculation there, and the optics of shutting down the government when thousands of Americans are in need is just not a very strategic move. Plus, we have Hurricane Irma coming that's threatening Florida. So expect at least a short-term measure to keep the government open by the end of the month.

SIEGEL: That's NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis at the Capitol. Thanks, Sue.

DAVIS: You bet.

1 hectic   

adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的

参考例句：

• I spent a very hectic Sunday.我度过了一个忙乱的星期天。
• The two days we spent there were enjoyable but hectic.我们在那里度过的两天愉快但闹哄哄的。

2 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。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

5 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 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。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

10 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

11 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

12 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

13 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

14 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。