VOA常速英语2019--教育部长撤资特奥会（在线收听）

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos whose agency funds the Special Olympics, through widespread condemnation, she announced she was cutting nearly 18 million dollars for the event as part of the Trump administration’s 2020 budget proposal. DeVos defended the cuts for the Olympics, a sporting event for physically and intellectually disabled people, suggesting those cuts might be made up through donations from the private sector. But late Thursday as he left the White House, Trump reversed course, implying he’d only just learned of the cuts. I’ve been to the Special Olympics. I think it’s incredible, and I just authorized a funding. I heard about it this morning. I have overridden my people with funding the Special Olympics.

部长贝特西·德沃斯管理的教育部是负责为特殊奥林匹克运动会出资的。但尽管面临着铺天盖地的谴责之声，她还是宣布削减1800万美元的特奥会资金，并称这是特朗普政府2020预算提案的部分内容。德沃斯对于特奥会出资的削减也有自己的辩解。特奥会是一个体育盛会，参会选手都是身体有缺陷或者智力有障碍的人群。德沃斯的辩解是：这次削减可能会通过私企的捐助而得到弥补。不过，周四晚些时候，在离开白宫时，特朗普上演了另一出戏码——他说自己也是才听说资金削减这件事的。我参加过特奥会。我认为特奥会很棒，我也刚刚授权了特奥会的出资。我是今早听说削减资金的。比人民更重要的事就是为特奥会出资。

After this comment, DeVos released a statement, saying she was pleased and grateful that she and the president see eye-to-eye on the issue, adding she’d been fighting for the funding behind the scenes for years. That statement came hours after a tense exchange over the cuts between Davos and Democrat Sen Dick Durbin during a US Senate Committee hearing. Did you personally approve the elimination of the 18 million dollars from your budget to help the Special Olympics? No, I didn’t personally get involved in that… I want to tell you whoever came up with, whoever came up with that idea at OMB (Office of Management and Budget) gets at a Special Olympic gold medal for insensitivity to think that we can’t spend 18 million dollars to support this dramatically successful venture. I love Special Olympics myself. I have given a portion of my salary to Special Olympics. I hope all of this debate encourages lots of private contributions to Special Olympics. So let’s not use disabled children in a twisted way for your political narrative. It’s, that is just disgusting and it’s shameful. Madam Secretary, let me tell you what, eliminating 18 million dollars out of an 80 billion, 70 or 80 billion-dollar budget. I think is shameful, too.

在特朗普唱了这出戏之后，德沃斯发布了一份声明，写道自己很高兴也很感激特朗普和自己在这件事情上观点一致。她还补充表示自己多年来一直为特奥会的出资而做不为人知的争取。在这份声明发布的数小时前，在资金削减的这件事上曾上演了一次激烈的交锋，交锋双方是德沃斯和民主党议员德宾，场合是在美国参议院委员会的听证会上。您本人是否同意过从特奥会预算中撤资1800万美元呢？没有，我本人从未参与过此事……我想说的是：无论是想出这个点子，这个在美国政府管理预算局提出撤资想法的人，都应该在特奥会上获得一块脑子不灵光的奖牌，因为他/她居然认为我们付不起1800万美元来支持这样一个极度成功的盛会。我本人挚爱特奥会。我的一部分工资是捐给特奥会的。我希望今天的所有辩论都能化作一股力量，鼓励私营企业捐助特奥会。所以，咱们也别拐着弯子用残障儿童来做借口以支持自己的政治说辞。这样太恶心了，太不要脸了。部长大人，不如我来告诉你：从800亿美元的项目，或者说700-800万美元的预算中撤资1800万美元，这才是真正的臭不要脸。

Since 1968, the Special Olympics have given physically and mentally challenged athletes in the United States and elsewhere the chance to compete in Olympic style sports and other games.

自1968年以来，特奥会为那些身体或智力上存在障碍的运动员提供机会，这些运动员可能是美国的，也可能是世界上其他地方的。特奥会让他们有机会在奥利匹克氛围下参与体育运动和其他比赛的竞争。