A new U.S. Congress has convened in Washington. Republicans now control the House of Representatives, and Democrats have a reduced majority in the Senate, giving the United States a divided legislature.
The 112th Congress features scores of new Republicans. Most are still getting settled in their new offices and learning their way around the Capitol.
美国第112届国会中出现了数十名共和党新成员。其中大多数人刚刚在新办公室安顿下来，了解着国会的情况。
But the new legislators come infused with the ideological fervor that fueled their successful campaigns. They view last November's election as a national rebuke of President Barack Obama's economic stewardship and a mandate to scale back the size and scope of the federal government.
但是这些新议员充满着理想的热情，正是这种热情帮助他们竞选成功。他们把去年11月的国会中期选举结果视为民众对奥巴马总统国家经济指导政策的不满，以及对缩小联邦政府规模和范围的要求。
Kentucky freshman Republican Senator Rand Paul told CBS' Early Show he will not vote to raise the limit on federal borrowing unless spending is drastically cut. "All the new people coming to Washington are going to insist that if we raise the debt ceiling, it has to be linked to something,” he said. “From here on out, we are going to balance the budget."
肯塔基州新任国会参议员、共和党人兰德.保罗告诉哥伦比亚广播公司《早间秀》节目说，除非政府大幅缩减开支，否则他将不会投票支持提高政府借债的限额。他说：“所有来到华盛顿的新任议员都会坚持这一点，那就是如果我们提高借债限额，这必须与其他举措联系起来。从现在开始，我们要平衡开支。”
The Obama administration says failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause the U.S. government to default on its loan obligations and produce a catastrophic financial crisis.
奥巴马政府表示，如果不能提高借债限额，就将导致美国政府无法偿还国债，并带来一次灾难性的金融危机。
House Republicans say their first act will be to vote to trim their own office payrolls. Next week, a vote to repeal President Obama's health-care reform initiative is expected. New House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin ties repeal to national prosperity.
众议院共和党人说，他们的第一项行动将是投票表决降低他们办公室的工资支出。下星期，要表决推翻奥巴马总统的健保改革方案。新众议院的预算委员会主席、来自威斯康星州的莱恩认为，推翻健保改革方案关系到国家的经济繁荣。
"This is related to jobs and the economy,” Ryan said. “The health-care bill has massive tax increases on individuals and employers that will cost us jobs."
他说：“ 这涉及就业率和经济。健保改革方案对个人和雇主大量增税。这会使得我们失去更多就业机会。”
Ryan spoke on NBC's Today Show. Most political observers view the repeal effort as a symbolic act, since the Democratically-controlled Senate will not follow suit.
莱恩在全国广播公司的“今天”节目上讲了话。大多数政治观察人士把推翻这项议案的行动视为象征性行动，因为参议院不会这样做。
New House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio takes over from California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who spoke about her party's role going forward.
新的众议院议长、来自俄亥俄州的贝纳从加利福尼亚州的民主党人佩洛西手里接管大权，佩洛西谈论了民主党在向前迈进上所起的作用。
"We extend a hand of friendship [to Republicans] to create jobs, grow the middle class, and reduce the deficit. We look for common ground to solve the problems of the American people,” Pelosi said. “But where we cannot find common ground, we must stand our ground on behalf of the pledge we take every day: 'with liberty and justice for all.' And that includes economic justice for all."
佩洛西说：“我们向共和党人伸出了友谊的手，以开创就业机会、扩大中产阶层并且降低赤字。我们寻求共同立场，以解决美国人民面临的问题。但是在我们无法找到共同立场之处，我们必须坚持自己的立场以兑现我们每天所作的承诺：那就是‘把自由和公正给予一切人’。而这也包含让所有人有公平的经济地位。”
The new Republican House majority has promised to change the way the chamber operates, with special reverence for the U.S. Constitution. The founding document is to be read aloud in its entirety before the House gets down to business. In the future bill sponsors will have to provide constitutional justification for legislation before it will be considered.
新的众议院多数党共和党已经承诺要改变众议院的运作方式，他们这里特指美国宪法。在众议院着手工作之前，他们将从头至尾地朗读这部建国之本的文件。在未来，提出某一议案者首先必须提供其宪法依据，来说明这一立法的合理性，然后才能考虑该议案。 |