美國聯邦政府再度面臨停擺
Congressional leaders are scrambling to strike a deal to keep the US government funded beyond the end of the week as Donald Trump’s demands for money towards a Mexican border wall complicate bipartisan budget talks.
美國國會領導人正忙於爭取達成協議，以保持美國政府不會在本週結束之後因資金緊張停擺。唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)對於在美國與墨西哥邊境建造隔離牆的資金要求，使兩黨的預算談判變得複雜化。Lawmakers returned to Washington after a recess yesterday facing the risk of a federal government shutdown from Friday — day 99 of Mr Trump’s presidency — that would force hundreds of thousands of government employees to stay at home and halt a host of services.
昨日結束休會、返回華盛頓的國會議員們，面臨着聯邦政府從本週五（特朗普總統任期的第99天）起停擺的風險，那將迫使數十萬政府僱員留在家裏，暫停衆多服務。While senior Republicans were anxious to avoid a temporary closure, Mr Trump’s tweeted demands for money towards his planned border wall — a non-starter for Democrats — have injected volatility into the fiscal debate.
儘管資深共和黨人急於避免政府停擺，但特朗普通過推文發出的邊境隔離牆建設資金要求——這對民主黨人是絕對不可接受的——向財政辯論注入了不確定性。
“The Wall is a very important tool in stopping drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter yesterday. “If the wall is not built, which it will be, the drug situation will NEVER be fixed the way it should be!”
“隔離牆是阻止毒品流入我們國家、毒害我國年輕人的重要手段，”特朗普昨日在Twitter上寫道。“如果不建造這堵牆——它一定會建成——毒品情況就永遠不會以應有的方式得到解決！”To critics, the pattern of policy uncertainty generated by White House brinkmanship is familiar; last week Mr Trump suddenly announced he would unveil tax proposals tomorrow, even though his team has not settled on detailed plans. The president has also wavered on whether to seek healthcare legislation before tax reform.
在批評者看來，白宮玩的這種懸崖遊戲所帶來的政策不確定性模式讓人眼熟；上週特朗普突然宣佈明日公佈稅收改革提議，儘管他的團隊尚未敲定詳細計劃。總統還曾在要不要把醫保立法置於稅制改革之前的問題上動搖。Stan Collender, a federal budget expert and former congressional staffer, said: “It’s the biggest failure of the first 100 days: that the Trump White House has been completely unable to establish a working relationship with Congress.”
曾擔任國會工作人員的聯邦預算專家斯坦?科倫德(Stan Collender)表示：“這是（特朗普任期）最初100天最大的失敗；特朗普白宮完全無法與國會建立工作關係。”
One Republican Senate aide said there was a good chance of Congress agreeing to a one-week extension of funding to give talks more time. While an explicit package for the wall with Mexico is unlikely, there could be room for a broader measure in support of border security, the aide said. “There may be a way for everyone to save face.”
一位共和黨參議院助理表示，國會很有可能同意延長一週的政府運作經費，讓各方有更多時間商談。這名助理表示，儘管不太可能就美墨邊境隔離牆達成明確方案，但可能存在支持邊境安全的整體措施的空間。“可能有辦法讓大家都保住臉面。”Republicans are unlikely to push talks to an outright shutdown given the anger it would trigger in the electorate. But to avoid one they need to settle a number of outstanding issues. The White House has made a priority of two demands where Democrats have drawn red lines: the border wall funding and latitude to deny federal grants to so-called sanctuary cities, which seek to shield unauthorised immigrants from deportation. It also wants a defence spending boost.
鑑於政府停擺將觸發選民怒火，共和黨方面不太可能在談判中強硬到真的導致停擺的地步。但爲了避免政府停擺，他們需要解決幾個未決的問題。白宮把民主黨人畫出紅線的兩項要求列爲重點：邊境隔離牆建設資金，以及向所謂的庇護城市（尋求保護無證移民、使其不被遣返的城市）拒發聯邦撥款的自由度。白宮還希望大幅增加國防支出。
