美国国家公共电台 NPR Here's What Would Happen If The Government Shuts Down This Week

 

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So as we just heard, it's still unclear at this point how a shutdown can be avoided since most lawmakers are out of town until later in the week. Even a partial shutdown of the government could have widespread impact. It could affect hundreds of thousands of federal workers. And it could shutter¹ some federal facilities over the holidays, unless Democrats² and the White House reach a deal. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE³: A shutdown would affect nine federal departments and dozens of agencies. Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Justice Department would all be closed. So too would NASA and NOAA, the agency that oversees⁴ the weather service and tracks things like hurricanes. National parks would remain open, but be prepared to bring your own trail maps. Visitor centers will be closed, as will restrooms.

About 380,000 federal workers will be furloughed - that is, sent home - while another 420,000 will remain on the job, including Border Patrol and FBI agents and TSA officers. But they won't be getting paid. Jackie Simon is with the American Federation⁵ of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers. She says the partial shutdown will wreak⁶ havoc⁷ with the federal workforce⁸ just before the holidays.

JACKIE SIMON: Our members can't ever afford to go without a paycheck. They take home maybe $500 a week after taxes and all the other things that are taken out of their paychecks. And they got to pay their rent. They got to pay their car notes. And they live paycheck to paycheck.

NAYLOR: Now, in previous shutdowns, Congress has approved back pay for affected⁹ workers. But it's not a good look for the government. The Partnership¹⁰ for Public Service released its most recent survey of government workers earlier this month. And it showed what it calls employee engagement, a measure of job satisfaction, was down last year compared to previous years. Max Stier, the group's CEO, says shutting down the government is the biggest morale-killer possible.

MAX STIER: It really ought not to be viewed as a reasonable pawn¹¹ in political battles. Everyone gets hurt. We're talking about the employees and the damage it can do to employee engagement. But fundamentally, the public gets hurt.

NAYLOR: That's because functions important to public health and safety don't get done as well as they could otherwise, Stier says. Even planning for a shutdown diverts energy.

STIER: People don't realize even when there is not actually a shutdown that what has taken place inside the government is a ton of preparation for a potential shutdown. And it becomes itself a huge distraction¹² that is costly¹³.

NAYLOR: This would be the third shutdown during President Trump's almost two years in office, one he said he would welcome. But he may not be around to see it. The president is expected to leave the White House for a 16-day stay at his Florida resort. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

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1 shutter   

n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置

参考例句：

• The camera has a shutter speed of one-sixtieth of a second.这架照像机的快门速度达六十分之一秒。
• The shutter rattled in the wind.百叶窗在风中发出嘎嘎声。

2 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》

3 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。

4 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

7 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

11 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

12 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

13 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。