BBC原文網址：http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24343698

 

 

(翻譯練習)

What does shutdown mean for two million federal employees, agencies and tourist destinations?

對兩百多萬的聯邦人員、政府機關和旅遊景點而言，「停擺」究竟意味著什麼？

The US government has begun a partial shutdown after the two houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget.

在國會的上下兩院(參議院；眾議院)拒絕同意新的運算後，美國政府已經開始一部分的停擺。

The Republican-led House of Representatives insisted on delaying President Barack Obama's healthcare reform - dubbed Obamacare - as a condition for passing a bill.

因為由共和黨所領導的眾議院，堅持要以延遲歐巴馬的健保政策改革(取名：歐巴馬健保)，作為通過預算的條件。

More than 800,000 federal employees face unpaid leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.

一旦僵局打破，但八十多萬以上的聯邦人員仍面臨了積欠工資不保證支付的情況。

It is the first shutdown in 17 years and the dollar fell early on Tuesday.

這是十七年以來政府的首次停擺，而美元也早在今天(星期二)早上貶值。

Goldman Sachs estimates a three-week shutdown could shave as much as 0.9% from US GDP this quarter.

Goldman Sachs預估，長達三個禮拜的停擺，會讓這一期的美國GDP減少多達0.9%。

The White House's budget office began notifying federal agencies to begin an "orderly shutdown" as the midnight deadline approached.

在午夜的期限到達之際，白宮的預算部門已經開始通知各個聯邦機關，即將開始進行「按序停擺」。

Shortly after midnight, President Obama tweeted: "They actually did it. A group of Republicans in the House just forced a government shutdown over Obamacare instead of passing a real budget."

午夜過後不久，歐巴馬在twitter上說：「他們真的做了。在眾議院的共和黨議員們，只是為了『歐巴馬健保』而強迫政府停擺，而不是為了通過真正的預算。」

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters he hoped the Senate would agree to a bipartisan committee known as a conference "so we can resolve this for the American people".

白宮發言人John Boehner告訴記者們，他希望參議院可以同意進行一個兩黨(民主黨；共和黨)的會議。「這樣一來，我們就能夠為美國人民解決這個問題。」

"The House has voted to keep the government open but we also want basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare," he said.

他說：「白宮已經投票同意讓政府繼續運作，但我們也想要讓美國人在『歐巴馬健保』之下，得到基本的公平權利。」

The Senate is to meet again at 09:30 (13:30 GMT) on Tuesday.

參議院將在星期二早上09:30 (格林威治標準時間：13:30) 再次開會。

The BBC's Mark Mardell in Washington says the divide in US politics has grown so bitter that government itself cannot function.

在華盛頓的BBC記者Mark Mardell說，這次在美國政策上的分裂，已經發展得太激烈，以致於政府自己無法運作了！

 

 

Who is affected?(誰將會被影響到？)

＊State department will be able to operate for limited time

(政府部門只能在限制時間內運作)

＊Department of defence will continue military operations

(國防部門將繼續軍事運作)

＊Department of education will still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing is expected to be severely hit

(教育部門會繼續提供220億的資金給公立學校，但設備與硬體將有可能會被嚴格檢視)

＊Department of energy - 12,700 staff expected to be sent home, with 1,113 remaining to oversee nuclear arsenal

(能源部門，12700名員工有可能會被放無薪假，只有1113名人員會留下來監視核子軍火庫)

＊Department of health and human services expected to send home more than half of staff

(社服部門中，將有超過一半的人員可能會放無薪假)

＊The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept will see little or no disruption

(聯邦儲備部、國土安全部和司法部門可能會斟酌，或是完全不受影響)

＊US Postal Services continue as normal

(郵政服務將正常運作)

＊Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks will close

(史密蘇尼機關、博物館、動物園和許多國家公園將會關閉)

 

 

Democrats were never likely to make concessions on healthcare reform - Mr Obama's signature achievement and a central issue in last year's presidential election, our correspondent says.

民主黨不可能對健保改革做出任何讓步--我們的特派記者說，根據在去年的總統大選上歐巴馬的手筆和核心議題。

But Republicans have made demands that they knew would not be met rather than be accused of weakness and betrayal by their own hardliners, he adds.

他補充：但是，共和黨已經讓他們的請求(連他們自己知道)不會被實現，不是因為他們的獨斷主義而被指控請求是虛弱且背叛的。

On Monday, the Democratic-led Senate twice rejected bills from House Republicans that would have funded the government only if funding for President Obama's healthcare law was delayed for a year.

在星期一的時候，民主黨所領導的參議院，二度拒絕來自眾議院開的支票：只有在總統歐巴馬的健保法延遲一年，才會給予健保和政府資金。

Major portions of the healthcare law, which passed in 2010 and has been validated by the US Supreme Court, are due to take effect on Tuesday regardless of whether there is a shutdown.

不管政府是否已經停擺了沒，已經在2010年通過、並被最高法院承認有效的健保法，其中的主要條例將在今天(禮拜二)生效。

President Obama went on national television to criticise Republicans for trying to refight the last election.

歐巴馬在國家電視的節目上，批評共和黨試著去推翻上一次選舉(總統大選)的行動。

A shutdown would have "a very real economic impact on real people, right away," he said, adding it would "throw a wrench" into the US recovery.

他說：「停擺將會『立刻對人民造成確實的經濟衝擊』。」並補充：「而且對美國的復甦造成阻礙(投下了一根扳手)。」

"The idea of putting the American people's hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility, and it doesn't have to happen."

「冒險把美國人民置於一個難以賺錢的情況，是一個高度不負責任的想法，而且這完全不應該發生。」

After the Senate vote, the chamber's Democratic majority leader blamed Republicans for the imminent halt to all non-essential government operations.

在參議院投票過後，為了即將發生、且擴及到全部次要政府機關的停擺，民主黨的主要領導人責備了眾議院。

"It will be a Republican government shutdown, pure and simple," said Harry Reid, referring to the Republicans as "bullies".

Harry Reid說：「這簡單明瞭的是一個民主政府的停擺。」他還把共和黨比喻成是一羣「惡霸」。

Mr Obama has signed legislation ensuring that military personnel would be paid. The defence department had advised employees that uniformed members of the military would continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers would be told to stay home.

歐巴馬已經簽了一個能夠保障軍方人員能夠領到薪水的法規。軍事部門已經通知身穿軍服的軍人繼續日常任務，但是其他大多數的一般員工會被告知放暫時回家、放無薪假。

Under the shutdown, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums will close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques will be delayed, and visa and passport applications will go unprocessed.

在停擺的情況下，國家公園和華盛頓的史密蘇尼博物館將會關閉；退休金和榮民津貼的發放會延遲；簽證和護照服務也不會運作。

Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, will continue.

被視為必要的程序將會繼續運作，像是航空控制和食品檢查等。

The US government has not undergone a shutdown since 1995-96, when services were suspended for a record 21 days.

自從1995~1996年(記錄上說：當時曾讓一切服務延遲了21天)以後，美國政府再也沒經歷過停擺的狀況，

Republicans demanded then-President Bill Clinton agree to their version of a balanced budget.

當時，共和黨要求前總統Bill Clinton(柯林頓) ，同意他們的平衡預算的版本。

As lawmakers grappled with the latest shutdown, the 17 October deadline for extending the government's borrowing limit looms even larger.

當立法者努力處理最新的停擺狀況時，10/17是政府能提高借錢限度的最後期限，而這個限度正逐漸飽和。

On that date, the US government will reach the limit at which it can borrow money to pay its bills, the so-called debt ceiling.

當到那天時，美國政府將會達到借錢的最大限度，也是所謂的「債務最高限額」。

House Republicans have also demanded a series of policy concessions - including on the president's health law and on financial and environmental regulations - in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

眾議院的共和黨議員們，也已經提出一連串的政策讓步：包括總統的健保法，金融與環境的規章條例，等等......用來交換提高「債務最高限額」。

"I'm thoroughly disgusted with our politicians," Ken Griffith from Kentucky told the Associated Press news agency.

來自肯塔基州的Ken Griffith告訴聯合媒體新聞機構：「我徹底地對我們的政客感到噁心。」

"They're acting like a bunch of three year old children. It's who can hold their breath the longest."

「他們就像一幫三歲小孩，在比說誰能夠憋氣最長時間一樣。」

 

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