美国两党对联邦预算依然存在巨大分歧

Republicans say deep and painful spending cuts are needed to put America’s fiscal house in order so that the private sector can flourish without the burden of a bloated government sector.

共和党人说，需要作出令人痛苦的、大幅度的开支削减，才能整顿美国的财政机构，以便让私有部门得以繁荣，不至受到膨胀的政府部门的挤压。

Democrats say drastically slashing spending will throw Americans out of work, imperil a fledgling economic recovery, and rob the nation of a better-educated workforce and the technological innovation that will drive economic growth in the future.

民主党议员说，大量削减开支将使得美国人失去工作，危及正开始复苏的经济，并且让国家失去拥有更完善教育的工作队伍 ，也丧失技术革新，而这两者在未来将是经济发展的推动力。

The debate illuminates the classic divide in American politics between conservatives, who see the government as a burden to the free market, and liberals, who see the government as a necessary promoter of progress and the common good.

这场辩论显示出美国的政治传统，即保守派和自由派的分歧。保守派认为政府是自由市场经济的负担，而自由派却认为政府在促进发展和大众利益方面是必不可少的。

Despite partisan differences, the Obama administration insists compromise is possible. White House Chief of Staff William Daley spoke on NBC’s Meet the Press program.

尽管存在党派分歧，但是奥巴马政府坚持说， 有可能达成妥协。白宫幕僚长戴利在全国广播公司的“面对媒体”节目上说：

"We are not that far apart," said Daley. "We [Democrats] are at over $50 billion in cuts. The House passed [a bill] that is $100 billion. So we are over half way there [to a deal]."

“我们并没有多大的分歧。我们民主党人提出削减五百亿美元以上开支，而众议院通过的议案是削减一千亿美元。所以我们在达成协议方面已经走了一半以上的路程了。”

Republicans say the White House’s budgetary math is misleading, noting the administration's cuts come from a proposed 2011 budget that was never enacted and which would have boosted spending.

共和党人说，白宫估算的预算计划有误导作用。他们指出，奥巴马政府是从尚未执行的2011年预算提案中进行削减，而且那原来是增加开支的提案。

Even if current-year spending levels are agreed to and a government shutdown is averted, negotiators have yet to tackle next year’s budget, meaning the current partisan stand-off could be repeated six months from now.

即使两党在这一财政年度的开支水平上达成了一致、而且也避免了关闭政府，但是谈判人员还是得处理下一财政年度的预算问题，那意味目前的党派对峙局面六个月后将会重演。

In addition, neither party has submitted proposals to reform entitlement programs that provide income and medical care for retirees. Those programs are projected to add trillions of dollars to America’s national debt in coming decades.

此外，两党还没有呈交改革政府津贴项目的提议，也就是为退休人员提供收入和医疗照顾的项目。那些项目预计将在几十年后增加几万亿美元的美国国债。