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美国国会本周重点：失业补助

The U.S. Congress gets back to work this week after a holiday break. Whether to restore jobless benefits for more than one million long-term unemployed¹ Americans will be among the first items considered in the Democratic-led Senate.

美国国会议员在节日休假之后，这个星期返回国会。是否为长期失业的100多万美国人恢复失业补助，这是民主党主导的参议院首先要考虑的问题之一。

Americans who have been jobless for more than 26 weeks got their last unemployment check a week ago.

失业超过26个星期的美国人一个星期前得到了他们最后一张失业补助支票。

Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid has scheduled an initial vote late Monday on a bill to renew compensation for the long-term unemployed by three months.  The bill needs bipartisan support to advance.

摆在国会议员面前的一个议案提出把长期失业补助延长3个月，但这个议案需要两党议员的支持才能获得通过。

“The politics of this are pretty strong. The people who are unemployed for long periods of time are Democrats³, and they are Republicans,” said Reid.

“这当中的政治意味很浓。长期失业的是民主党人，反对这个议案的是共和党人。”

The effort has the backing of President Barack Obama.

延长失业补助的努力得到奥巴马总统的支持。

“We do not abandon our fellow Americans when times get tough. We keep the faith with them until they start a new job. If folks cannot pay their bills or buy the basics, like food and clothes, local businesses take a hit and hire fewer workers,” said Obama.

他说：“困难的时候，我们不会抛弃自己的同胞。我们相信他们，直到他们找到新工作。如果人们不能付账单或购买食物衣服等基本生活用品，地方经济就会受到打击，雇佣的员工就会减少。”

Even if the bill passes the Senate, a vote in the Republican-led House of Representatives is far from assured. Many Republican lawmakers worry about the fiscal⁴ impact of another extension of benefits - and the impact on job seekers themselves. Senator Rand Paul is among those opposed to prolonged benefits.

即使这个议案在参议院过了关，是否能在共和党主导的众议院通过还在未定之天。很多共和党议员担心延长失业补助会产生财政影响，会对找工作的人产生影响。

“I think it's wrong to borrow money from China or simply to print up money for it. But I'm not against having unemployment insurance. I do think, though, that the longer you have it, that it provides some disincentive to work,” said Paul.

共和党参议员兰德·保罗说：“我并不反对有失业保险，但我担心，领取失业补助的时间越长，工作的意愿就越低。”

Democrats see economic benefits if jobless benefits are extended, and political benefits in waging the battle, whether they succeed or not.

民主党人认为，延长失业补助会带来经济上的好处，而不管成功与否，为这个问题出力，会给他们带来政治上的好处。

Thomas Mann, an analyst⁵ at the Brookings Institution, says Republicans are in a tough spot in this battle.

托马斯·曼，布鲁金斯学会的一名分析师，说共和党人在这场战役中艰难。

“I think that will be a very, very contentious⁶ issue, but it is one where the politics really argue for Republicans finding a way to pass that. It is very unpopular to deny people some support during this difficult time,"  said Mann.

“我认为这将是一个非常有争议的问题，但这也是个政治问题，共和党人需要找到一种方式通过这个议案。毕竟，在目前这个困难时刻，不让民众得到一些财务支持是非常不得人心的。”

Republicans, meanwhile, hope to keep the public’s attention focused on the initial problems surrounding President Obama’s signature health care law.

与此同时，共和党议员希望公众把注意力集中在奥巴马总统的医保法所面临的问题上。