With weeks to go before the United States risks defaulting on its $14 trillion national debt, Democrats and Republicans are sticking to conflicting, partisan prescriptions for improving the nation’s finances.
目前距离美国可能面对无法偿还其14万亿美元国债的危险只有几个星期的时间，民主党人和共和党人在改善国家财政的问题上仍然分歧依旧，各持己见。
Lawmakers of both major political parties agree the federal government must cut spending to reduce a $1.6 trillion deficit. But they disagree on how deeply to cut and whether additional revenues should be part of a formula to bridge the budget gap. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas on the Fox News Sunday television program.
民主、共和两党的议员们都同意，联邦政府必须削减开支，以降低1万6千亿美元的赤字。但是他们在究竟削减多少开支，以及一个弥补预算亏空的解决方案是否应当包括增加新的税收等问题上，依然意见不一。来自德克萨斯州的共和党籍联邦参议员约翰·科宁星期天在福克斯新闻频道节目中说：
“Republicans are opposed to any tax hikes, particularly during a fragile economic recovery," he said. "The last thing that employers need is further disincentives to hire people, and that is what higher taxes would mean.
“共和党人反对任何增税措施，在经济复苏依然脆弱的形势下尤其如此。雇主们最不愿意要的是妨碍他们雇用更多的人来扩大生意的举措，而这正是更高的税收带给他们的结果。”
Instead of tax hikes, Cornyn advocates deep spending cuts in most federal endeavors other than national defense.
与增税措施相反，约翰·科宁参议员主张大幅削减除了国防开支以外的绝大多数联邦政府项目的开支。
Democrats say a one-sided approach to deficit reduction would stunt national progress and harm the vulnerable. President Barack Obama made the case for eliminating special tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy in his weekly radio address Saturday.
民主党人则表示，单向削减赤字的做法将阻碍国家的发展，并伤害弱势群体。奥巴马总统在他星期六发表的每周例行讲话中提出要取消针对公司企业以及富人的特别税收减免。
“If we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or for hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners, or for oil and gas companies pulling in huge profits without our help - then we will have to make even deeper cuts somewhere else," he said. "We have got to say to a student, ‘You do not get a college scholarship.’ We have to say to a medical researcher, ‘You cannot do that cancer research.’ We might have to tell seniors, ‘You have to pay more for Medicare.’”
他说：“如果我们选择为那些百万、亿万富翁，对冲基金经理人，商务飞机的所有人，或者那些无需我们的帮助就能获得巨大利润的石油天然气公司保留税收减免，那么，我们就得在其它地方更多地削减开支。我们就不得不告诉某个学生，你拿不到大学奖学金了；我们就不得不对某个医学研究人员说，你无法再从事癌症研究了；我们可能就不得不告诉老年人说，你们得自己为医疗保险支付更多的钱。”Senator Cornyn says he would support ending tax breaks as part of a larger tax-reform package in which overall tax rates are reduced, thereby making the initiative revenue-neutral. He does not favor altering the federal tax code to boost government revenue.
约翰·科宁参议员表示，他将支持一个包括取消税收减免的措施的更大税收改革方案，这个方案应该降低总体的税率，因此新方案不会为政府赢得额外的收入。他不支持改变联邦税法以增加政府的收入。
“I think the American people understand that raising taxes grows the size of the federal government," said Cornyn. "They want government to get smaller, not bigger. They feel government has become far too intrusive in their lives.”
他说：“我想美国人民懂得，增税会增加联邦政府的规模。他们希望政府变小，而不是变大。他们觉得政府介入他们的生活已经太多了。”
The partisan stand-off comes as an August 2 deadline looms for raising the federal borrowing limit. Absent a deal to cut the deficit and slow the growth rate of the national debt, many Republicans say they will not vote to increase the debt ceiling. Without additional borrowing authority, the federal government risks defaulting on its debt obligations, which could spark a financial crisis.
在今年8月2号提高联邦债务上限的最后期限即将到来，党派的纷争对峙依旧。共和党人说，如果就削减赤字、降低国债增长幅度达不成一项协议，他们将不会投票支持提高国债上限。如果失去了增加举债的权力，联邦政府在还债方面就会有违约的危险，而这可能引发一场金融危机。
Some Democrats have argued President Obama could end the standoff by challenging the constitutionality of the debt ceiling and ignoring the law. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that the public debt of the United States “shall not be questioned.” Senator Cornyn blasted any attempt to sidestep the debt ceiling as “crazy talk”, saying it would be an abdication of the president’s responsibility to arrive at a negotiated solution to the nation’s debt woes.
一些民主党人提出，奥巴马总统可以通过质疑所谓债务上限说法的合宪性，不理会相关法律来结束两党对峙的局面。美国宪法第14修正案说，美国的公共债务不应当受到质疑。约翰·科宁参议员猛烈抨击任何想要逃避债务上限问题的企图，说这都是痴人说梦。他表示，这简直是把总统通过协商解决国家的债务困境，最终达成一项解决方案的责任正式放弃了。