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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Washington's Functionality to Be Tested in 2016
WASHINGTON—
Americans witnessed a rarity at the end of 2015: a functioning Congress that enacted3 major legislation with bipartisan support. For 2016, Republican leaders in both chambers4 are promising5 a return to the traditional legislative6 procedures under which Congress operated decades ago – an intention that will be tested in an election year.
“I feel good about what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a few short weeks,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan before Congress adjourned7 for the remainder of the year. “And I feel very good about where we are going in the next year.”
From funding the U.S. government to upgrading America’s overburdened highways to boosting the nation’s cyber security, the Republican-led Congress passed a flurry of bills that President Barack Obama, a Democrat8, enthusiastically signed into law.
Seeking compromise
The Senate’s majority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, took note in an end-of-year news conference.
“When the American people elect divided government, they are not saying ‘don’t do anything.’ They are saying, ‘look for the things you can agree on,’” McConnell said.
Democrats9, who lost their Senate majority in 2014, claimed some of the credit.
“When Republicans were in the minority, their goal was obstruction,” said Democratic Senator Patty Murray. “Now that Democrats are in the minority, our goal is helping10 the middle class, and we are willing to work with Republicans to achieve that.”
For some Republican presidential contenders, a Washington that works is a Washington up to no good.
“If you see a candidate who Washington embraces, run and hide,” said Senator Ted2 Cruz at a recent campaign event in Alabama. “If you think Washington is fundamentally broken, that there is a bipartisan corruption11 of career politicians in both parties that get in bed with the lobbyists and special interests and grow and grow and grow Washington… that is what this campaign is all about!”
Return to old norms
Such barbs12 have not weakened the resolve of Republican congressional leaders.
“As Congress works in the new year, I want to make sure that we get back to what is called ‘regular order’ so that we have a system that operates like the founders13 intended,” Speaker Ryan said.
Ryan’s plan is getting a favorable initial reaction from Democrats.
“The speaker and I had a number of conversations,” said the Senate’s minority leader, Democrat Harry14 Reid. “He wants to do appropriation15 bills; I want to do appropriation bills. And there is no reason we can’t.”
Congress just passed a mammoth16, catch-all federal spending bill, known as the Omnibus, that will keep the U.S. government funded through September 2016. Such bills have been the norm for the last two decades. Before then, congressional committees commonly passed individual spending bills that received separate floor votes in both chambers.
McConnell said a return to that practice would allow Congress to better fulfill17 its fiscal18 duties.
“This big bill we just passed was $1.1 trillion (of spending) in one bill. That’s not the way to do business. And so we are going to try our best not to end up in that situation again,” he said.
McConnell will need help from Democrats, who have designs of their own for next year.
“We can only hope that our Republican colleagues will be as cooperative a minority as we were this year when Democrats take back the Senate in 2016,” said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.
Republican leaders aim to keep that prediction from coming true, and see a functional1 Congress as key to that goal.
1 functional | |
adj.为实用而设计的,具备功能的,起作用的 | |
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2 ted | |
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开 | |
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3 enacted | |
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 chambers | |
n.房间( chamber的名词复数 );(议会的)议院;卧室;会议厅 | |
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5 promising | |
adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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6 legislative | |
n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的 | |
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7 adjourned | |
(使)休会, (使)休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8 democrat | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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9 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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10 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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11 corruption | |
n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
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12 barbs | |
n.(箭头、鱼钩等的)倒钩( barb的名词复数 );带刺的话;毕露的锋芒;钩状毛 | |
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13 founders | |
n.创始人( founder的名词复数 ) | |
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14 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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15 appropriation | |
n.拨款,批准支出 | |
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16 mammoth | |
n.长毛象;adj.长毛象似的,巨大的 | |
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17 fulfill | |
vt.履行,实现,完成;满足,使满意 | |
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18 fiscal | |
adj.财政的,会计的,国库的,国库岁入的 | |
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