Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress engaged in procedural battles and traded allegations on Wednesday as lawmakers attempted to conclude work on legislative priorities near the end of the congressional session. Senate Republicans used procedural tactics to delay Democrat's efforts to move toward a vote on health care reform, while House lawmakers approved a defense bill and a job creation measure amid partisan bickering over responsibility for the U.S. economic situation.
星期三，美国国会议员试图在议会会期结束之前完成对一些当务之急法案的审议工作，民主共和两党议员打程序战，并且互相指控。参议院共和党人试图利用程序手段来拖延民主党试图尽快对医保法案投票的努力。在就谁该对美国经济现状负责的争论中，众议院通过了一项国防支出法案以及一项增加就业机会的法案。
In a day of frenetic activity before it formally adjourned for the year, the House approved the last of 12 government spending bills for the 2010 fiscal year that began last October.
众议院在今年正式休会之前，度过了紧张的一天，通过了2010财政年度12项政府支出议案的最后部分。2010财政年度由今年10月份开始。
The $636-billion defense appropriations measure includes $128 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate began considering the bill late on Wednesday before adjourning.
这个高达6360亿美元的国防拨款中，有1280亿用于伊拉克战争和阿富汗战争。参议院星期三晚些时候在休会之前就此议案开始审议。
Congress will have to approve more money for Afghanistan in the new year, estimated at between $30 billion and $35 billion, to support President Obama's 30,000 U.S. troop surge.
As part of a package of bills, the House also approved a $154 billion measure aimed at easing the difficult U.S employment picture by creating new transportation and other infrastructure jobs, providing more financial aid to U.S. states and local governments and expanding unemployment benefits.
作为成套议案的一部分，众议院也通过了一项总值1540亿美元用于缓解美国就业困难的议案。其中包括创造新的交通和其他基础设施建设工作，为州政府和地方政府提供更多的财政援助，以及扩大失业救济。
Debate on this and other matters was marked by complaints from the Republican opposition about what they call out-of-control spending by Democrats and President Obama. Republican Jeb Hensarling of Texas:
关于这个议案及其他问题的争论，一个特点是，共和党抱怨民主党和奥巴马总统的支出失控了。来自德克萨斯州的共和党议员贺萨林说：
"You cannot spend your way into more jobs, you cannot borrow your way into more jobs, you cannot bailout your way into more jobs," said Jeb Hensarling. "That is not the recipe."
“你不能花钱来买工作，你不能借钱来买工作，你也不能靠救济来创造工作。这根本就不是解决办法。”
Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee said Democrats and President Obama have merely responded to damage from Republican policies that contributed to the current recession:
德克萨斯州民主党议员杰克逊·李则表示，民主党和奥巴马政府仅仅是在处理共和党政策造成的当前局势。
"We are in this predicament because the last administration of Republican leadership took away our surplus that had been created [under Democrats] in the 1990s," said Sheila Jackson. "They dashed and dashed and destroyed and devastated. Isn't it interesting that you come now to complain about a leadership, president and Democratic leadership in Congress that have had to make the political sacrifice to ensure that Americans can work?
“我们现在处于这样一个僵局，那就是上一届共和党政府完全消耗了民主党在90年代创造出的盈余。他们不停的消耗，直到殆尽。”
The House also narrowly approved a nearly $290 billion increase in the legal maximum for the national debt which already stood at $12.1 trillion.
In the most dramatic moment of the day, Senate Republicans used a procedural tactic to force a 3 hour delay in efforts by Democrats to move closer to a possible vote on health care reform, an item of paramount importance for President Obama.
最戏剧性的一刻是，在民主党试图尽快对医保改革进行投票时，参议院共和党人利用程序手段拖延了长达三个小时。这项改革是奥巴马政府至关重要的任务之一。
An angry Bernie Sanders, Independent senator from Vermont, responded to the Republican move which forced his 700 page amendment proposing a government-run single-payer health insurance system to be read in full to delay Senate business.
"The best the Republicans can do is try to bring the U.S. government to a halt by forcing a reading of a 700 page amendment," said Bernie Sanders. "That is an outrage. People can have honest disagreements. But in this moment of crisis, it is wrong to bring the U.S. government to a halt."
Though President Obama hopes the Senate can approve its version of health care reform by Christmas, Republican delaying tactics created new obstacles to a possible vote on the legislation.
尽管奥巴马希望参议院能够在圣诞节前通过医保改革议案，共和党使用的拖延战术已经为可能的投票设置了新的阻碍。
Doing nothing is not an option, said Senate majority leader Harry Reid, while Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the Democrat's bill fundamentally flawed.
参议院多数党领袖里德(Harry Reid)说，不作为，绝对不是一个选项。而参议院共和党领袖麦康奈尔则称民主党议案有根本性错误。
REID: "This isn't about balance sheets or graphs or charts, it's not about contracts or fine print, it's not about politics or partisanship. This is about life and death in America."
里德：“这并不仅仅是收支平衡表，也不仅仅是一项合同或是美好蓝图，更不仅仅是政治或者党派之争。这是关乎美国生死存亡的决定。”
MCCONNELL: "Americans oppose the Democratic plan because they know the final product is a collosal, legislative mistake."
麦康奈尔：“美国人不支持这个民主党议案，因为他们知道这个最后的产物将是一个巨大的立法错误。”
Democrats still need a 60 vote majority to win approval of health care legislation, and continued to try to secure the support of one key senator, Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman. Any Senate-passed bill would still have to be reconciled with a version passed already by the House.
民主党需要60票才能够通过这项医保法案，他们继续努力寻求一位关键的参议员，康涅狄克州的独立参议员利伯曼的支持。参议院通过的法案文本需要与众议院通过的文本进行协调。
While House Democrats intended Wednesday's votes to be the last for the year, majority leader Steny Hoyer cautioned lawmakers they may be called back to deal with any health care measure the Senate might complete in coming days.
尽管众议院民主党人本来想让星期三的投票成为本年度最后的投票，众议院多数党领袖斯特尼·霍耶警告议员们说，如果参议院在未来几天对医保法案有任何举措，他们就可能被召回讨论如何回应。
Failure of the Senate to approve its health care bill would deal a blow to President Obama's hopes of approval this year, and push that politically-sensitive issue into 2010, a mid-term congressional election year. |