2013-10-17 奥巴马就美国政府恢复运作讲话

David

Remarks by President Obama on Reopening of Federal Government
October 17, 2013

美国总统奥巴马就美国联邦政府恢复运作发表的讲话
2013年10月17日

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Good morning, everybody. Please have a seat.

各位上午好。请入座。

Well, last night, I signed legislation to reopen our government and pay America’s bills. Because Democrats and responsible Republicans came together, the first government shutdown in 17 years is now over. The first default in more than 200 years will not happen. These twin threats to our economy have now been lifted. And I want to thank those Democrats and Republicans for getting together and ultimately getting this job done.

昨晚，我已签署法案，让我国政府恢复运作并支付美国的债务。在民主党人和负责任的共和党人的共同努力下，17年来政府的首次关闭已经结束。200多年来有可能首次发生的违约已经避免。我们的经济所面临的这两重威胁已被解除。我想感谢那些齐心协力并最终完成这项工作的民主党人和共和党人。

Now, there’s been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of this shutdown. But let’s be clear: There are no winners here. These last few weeks have inflicted completely unnecessary damage on our economy. We don’t know yet the full scope of the damage, but every analyst out there believes it slowed our growth.

近来，这次政府关闭的政治问题成为人们大量谈论的话题。但是，让我们明确一点：这里没有赢者。最近几个星期，我国经济遭受了完全没有必要的损失。我们还不清楚损失整体达到了什么程度，但每一位分析人士都认为我们的增长被延缓。

We know that families have gone without paychecks or services they depend on. We know that potential homebuyers have gotten fewer mortgages, and small business loans have been put on hold. We know that consumers have cut back on spending, and that half of all CEOs say that the shutdown and the threat of shutdown set back their plans to hire over the next six months. We know that just the threat of default -- of America not paying all the bills that we owe on time -- increased our borrowing costs, which adds to our deficit.

我们知道，家家户户得不到他们所依靠的薪资支票或服务。我们知道，准备买房的人得到的抵押贷款缩减，企业贷款被扣发。我们知道，消费者削减了支出，半数公司首席执行长表示，政府关闭和关闭的危险导致他们推迟今后6个月的雇人计划。我们知道，仅仅面临违约的危险一事 – 美国无法按时支付所欠的全部债务—就增加了我们的借贷成本，为我们的赤字雪上加霜。

And, of course, we know that the American people’s frustration with what goes on in this town has never been higher. That's not a surprise that the American people are completely fed up with Washington. At a moment when our economic recovery demands more jobs, more momentum, we've got yet another self-inflicted crisis that set our economy back. And for what?

当然，我们知道，美国人民对这个城市发生的情况感到沮丧，心情从来没有如此沉重。毫不奇怪，美国人民已经对华盛顿市完全感到厌倦。在我国的经济复苏需要创造更多的工作岗位，得到更多动力的时候，我们却陷入另一个自己制造的危机，拖了我国经济的后腿。这究竟是为什么？

There was no economic rationale for all of this. Over the past four years, our economy has been growing, our businesses have been creating jobs, and our deficits have been cut in half. We hear some members who pushed for the shutdown say they were doing it to save the American economy -- but nothing has done more to undermine our economy these past three years than the kind of tactics that create these manufactured crises.

没有任何经济原理可以解释这一切。过去4年来，我国经济保持增长，我国工商业创造了工作岗位，我国的赤字降低了一半。我们听到一些鼓动政府关闭的成员说，他们这样做是为了挽救美国经济-- 但是，这种策略造成了这些人为制造的危机，对我国经济造成的损害比过去3年来任何因素导致的结果都更严重。

And you don’t have to take my word for it. The agency that put America’s credit rating on watch the other day explicitly cited all of this, saying that our economy “remains more dynamic and resilient” than other advanced economies, and that the only thing putting us at risk is -- and I'm quoting here -- “repeated brinksmanship.” That's what the credit rating agency said. That wasn’t a political statement; that was an analysis of what’s hurting our economy by people whose job it is to analyze these things.

你们不必只听我说。负责观察美国信用评级的机构曾明确提出所有这些问题，指出我国经济的“活力和适应能力仍然”高于其他先进经济体，唯一导致我们面临危险的是-- 我引用原话—“一再采取边缘政策”。这是信用评级机构的原话。这并不是政治性的表述；这是以分析这些情况为职业的人对伤害我国经济的因素进行的分析。

That also happens to be the view of our diplomats who’ve been hearing from their counterparts internationally. Some of the same folks who pushed for the shutdown and threatened default claim their actions were needed to get America back on the right track, to make sure we're strong. But probably nothing has done more damage to America's credibility in the world, our standing with other countries, than the spectacle that we've seen these past several weeks. It's encouraged our enemies. It's emboldened our competitors. And it's depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.

这恰巧也是我国外交人员的看法。他们已经听到别国有关官员的意见。同样鼓动政府关闭和冒违约风险的某些人声称，他们的行动对美国走上正确的轨道，对保证我们的强大很有必要。然而，可以说，对于美国在全世界的信用，对于我国在各国中的声誉，我们在过去几个星期看到的景象造成的伤害比任何因素导致的结果都更严重。我们的敌人为此额手称庆。我国的竞争对手感到可以借此壮胆。期待我们稳定发挥领导作用的朋友们不免灰心丧气。

Now, the good news is we'll bounce back from this. We always do. America is the bedrock of the global economy for a reason. We are the indispensable nation that the rest of the world looks to as the safest and most reliable place to invest -- something that’s made it easier for generations of Americans to invest in their own futures. We have earned that responsibility over more than two centuries because of the dynamism of our economy and our entrepreneurs, the productivity of our workers, but also because we keep our word and we meet our obligations. That’s what full faith and credit means -- you can count on us.

现在，好消息是我们将从中恢复过来。我们总能做到。美国是全球经济的基石，这是有其原因的。我们是一个不可或缺的国家，全世界其他国家都将我们视为进行投资的最安全、最可靠的地方——这帮助了几代美国人民投资于他们自己的未来。两个多世纪以来，由于我国经济和我国创业者的活力，由于我国劳动者的效力，更由于我们说到做到并履行我们的义务，我们切实承担起了这种责任。这就是完整的诚信和信誉的含义——我们是靠得住的。

And today, I want our people and our businesses and the rest of the world to know that the full faith and credit of the United States remains unquestioned.

今天，我想让我国人民和我们的公司企业以及全世界各国人民都知道，美国具有完整的诚信和信誉，这仍然是毫无疑问的。

But to all my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change. Because we've all got a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people -- and that includes the hard work of regaining their trust. Our system of self-government doesn’t function without it. And now that the government is reopened, and this threat to our economy is removed, all of us need to stop focusing on the lobbyists and the bloggers and the talking heads on radio and the professional activists who profit from conflict, and focus on what the majority of Americans sent us here to do, and that’s grow this economy; create good jobs; strengthen the middle class; educate our kids; lay the foundation for broad-based prosperity and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul. That’s why we're here. That should be our focus.

然而，对于我在国会的所有朋友们，需要认识到这个城市的工作方法必须改变。因为我们代表美国人民，有很多工作需要做—其中包括重新获得他们信任的艰巨任务。缺乏这个条件，我们的自治政体就无法运行。现在政府已经恢复运作，对我国经济的这个威胁已经被消除，我们大家不应该再以院外集团、博客作者、电台说客和靠争斗渔利的专职活动家为中心，而需要以大多数美国人民选派我们到这里工作的目的为中心，这就是促进经济增长；创造就业岗位；壮大中产阶级；教育我们的子女；为广泛的繁荣奠定基础，使我国财政长期保持良好的秩序。这就是为什么我们在这里的原因。这应该是我们的中心工作。

Now, that won't be easy. We all know that we have divided government right now. There's a lot of noise out there, and the pressure from the extremes affect how a lot of members of Congress see the day-to-day work that’s supposed to be done here. And let's face it, the American people don’t see every issue the same way. But that doesn’t mean we can't make progress. And when we disagree, we don’t have to suggest that the other side doesn’t love this country or believe in free enterprise, or all the other rhetoric that seems to get worse every single year. If we disagree on something, we can move on and focus on the things we agree on, and get some stuff done.

然而，这样做并不容易。我们都知道，目前我们的政府政见不一。那里有很多喧闹的声音。来自极端方面的压力对很多国会成员如何看待应该在这里完成的日常工作产生了影响。让我们直言不讳，美国人民并非对每一个问题都有相同的看法。但是这并不说明我们无法取得进展。在我们意见不一致的时候，我们没有必要指责另一方不热爱这个国家，或者说不相信自由企业，或者采用其他所有的发难之辞，这些言辞看来年复一年愈演愈烈。我们如果在某些问题上意见不一致，仍然可以继续前进，以我们意见一致的问题为重点完成一些工作。

Let me be specific about three places where I believe we can make progress right now. First, in the coming days and weeks, we should sit down and pursue a balanced approach to a responsible budget, a budget that grows our economy faster and shrinks our long-term deficits further.

请让我具体说明我相信我们现在能够取得进展的3个方面。首先，在未来的几天和几周里，我们应当坐下来争取以一种平衡的方式达成一个负责任的预算，一个能使我国经济增长得更快并进一步缩小我国赤字的预算。

At the beginning of this year, that’s what both Democrats and Republicans committed to doing. The Senate passed a budget; House passed a budget; they were supposed to come together and negotiate. And had one side not decided to pursue a strategy of brinksmanship, each side could have gotten together and figured out, how do we shape a budget that provides certainty to businesses and people who rely on government, provides certainty to investors in our economy, and we’d be growing faster right now.

今年年初，民主党人和共和党人都承诺这样做。参议院通过了一个预算案，众议院也通过了一个预算案，本来两院会就此进行磋商。如果不是一方决定采用铤而走险的策略，双方本来会坐在一起，商量我们如何制定这样一个预算，它能够让我们的企业和人民胸有成竹，能够让我们的投资者胸有成竹。如果是那样，今天我们的经济会增长得更快。

Now, the good news is the legislation I signed yesterday now requires Congress to do exactly that -- what it could have been doing all along.

现在，好消息是我昨天签署的法案要求国会这样做——这是它早就可以做的事情。

And we shouldn’t approach this process of creating a budget as an ideological exercise -- just cutting for the sake of cutting. The issue is not growth versus fiscal responsibility -- we need both. We need a budget that deals with the issues that most Americans are focused on: creating more good jobs that pay better wages.

另外，我们不应当把制定预算的程序当做一项意识形态的演练——不应当为了削减而削减。增长和财政责任并不相互冲突——我们两者都需要。我们需要一个能够解决大多数美国人所关切的问题的预算：创造更多工作机会，而且工资更高。

And remember, the deficit is getting smaller, not bigger. It’s going down faster than it has in the last 50 years. The challenges we have right now are not short-term deficits; it’s the long-term obligations that we have around things like Medicare and Social Security. We want to make sure those are there for future generations.

请记住，赤字正在缩小，而不是增大。它正以过去50年来最快的速度下降。我们目前面临的挑战并不是短期赤字，而是长期的支付需求，例如老年医保和社会保障金。我们希望确保子孙后代依然能够享受这些福利。

So the key now is a budget that cuts out the things that we don’t need, closes corporate tax loopholes that don’t help create jobs, and frees up resources for the things that do help us grow -- like education and infrastructure and research. And these things historically have not been partisan. And this shouldn’t be as difficult as it’s been in past years because we already spend less than we did a few years ago. Our deficits are half of what they were a few years ago. The debt problems we have now are long term, and we can address them without shortchanging our kids, or shortchanging our grandkids, or weakening the security that current generations have earned from their hard work.

因此，现在的关键在于达成这样一个预算：砍掉我们不需要的东西，堵住无助于创造工作机会的公司税务漏洞，腾出资源用于的确有助于我们实现增长的事项——例如教育、基础设施和科研。这些事项历来都无党派之分。而且这不应当像过去几年那样困难，因为我们的开支水平已比过去几年有所降低。我们的赤字是几年前的一半。我们现在的债务问题是长期的，我们可以着手解决这些问题而不损害我们的子女、不损害我们的孙儿孙女、不削弱这一代人通过自己的辛勤劳动而挣得的保障。

So that’s number one. Number two, we should finish fixing the job of -- let me say that again. Number two, we should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system.

这是第一点。第二点，我们应当完成整治我们失灵的移民体制的工作。

There's already a broad coalition across America that’s behind this effort of comprehensive immigration reform -- from business leaders to faith leaders to law enforcement. In fact, the Senate has already passed a bill with strong bipartisan support that would make the biggest commitment to border security in our history; would modernize our legal immigration system; make sure everyone plays by the same rules, makes sure that folks who came here illegally have to pay a fine, pay back taxes, meet their responsibilities. That bill has already passed the Senate. And economists estimate that if that bill becomes law, our economy would be 5 percent larger two decades from now. That’s $1.4 trillion in new economic growth.

美国各地现已形成了一个支持全面移民改革努力的广泛联盟——从工商界领导人到宗教领导人，还有执法人员。事实上，参议院已经通过了一项得到强有力的两党支持的法案，将有史以来最坚定地致力于边境安全，将使我们合法的移民体系现代化，将确保每个人都遵守同样的规则，确保非法来美的人必须付罚款、付清欠税并履行他们的义务。这项法案已在参议院通过。据经济学家估算，如果这项法案成为法律，我国经济将在今后20年增长5%，相当于实现1.4万亿美元的新的经济增长。

The majority of Americans think this is the right thing to do. And it's sitting there waiting for the House to pass it. Now, if the House has ideas on how to improve the Senate bill, let's hear them. Let's start the negotiations. But let's not leave this problem to keep festering for another year, or two years, or three years. This can and should get done by the end of this year.

美国大多数人认为这样做是正确的。它在等待着众议院的通过。如果众议院对如何改进参议院议案有想法，那让我们来听到它们。让我们开始协商。但不要让这个问题再一年、两年、三年地磨下去。这项工作应在今年年底以前完成。

Number three, we should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on; one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need; one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve.

第三点，我们应当通过一项农业法案，一项美国农牧民能够依靠、能在必要时保护弱势儿童和成年人、能给予农村社区发展的机会以及他们应当得到的长期确定性的法案。

Again, the Senate has already passed a solid bipartisan bill. It's got support from Democrats and Republicans. It's sitting in the House waiting for passage. If House Republicans have ideas that they think would improve the farm bill, let's see them. Let's negotiate. What are we waiting for? Let's get this done.

同样地，参议院已经批准了一个扎实的跨党派议案。它得到民主党人和共和党人的支持。它在等待着众议院的通过。如果众议院共和党人持有他们认为可以改进农业法案的想法，让他们拿出来。让我们协商。我们在等什么？让我们来完成它。

So, passing a budget; immigration reform; farm bill. Those are three specific things that would make a huge difference in our economy right now. And we could get them done by the end of the year if our focus is on what's good for the American people. And that’s just the big stuff. There are all kinds of other things that we could be doing that don’t get as much attention.

因此，通过预算案；移民改革；农业法案。这是现在能够对我们的经济产生巨大影响的三件事。如果我们将精力集中于什么对美国人民有益，我们有可能在年底前将它们完成。而这只是重头事情。还有其他各种我们可以做的事情，它们没有得到多少关注。

I understand we will not suddenly agree on everything now that the cloud of crisis has passed. Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a lot of issues. And I recognize there are folks on the other side who think that my policies are misguided -- that’s putting it mildly. That’s okay. That’s democracy. That’s how it works. We can debate those differences vigorously, passionately, in good faith, through the normal democratic process.

我理解，并不是随着危机烟消云散我们就能一下子对一切达成一致。民主党人和共和党人在大量问题上相距甚远。我知道另一边的有些人认为我的政策不对头——这是客气的说法。这不要紧。这是民主。这是它的运作方式。我们可以大力、激烈、认认真真地通过正常民主程序来就分歧展开辩论。

And sometimes, we'll be just too far apart to forge an agreement. But that should not hold back our efforts in areas where we do agree. We shouldn’t fail to act on areas that we do agree or could agree just because we don’t think it's good politics; just because the extremes in our party don’t like the word “compromise.”

有时，我们的差距实在太大，难以达成协议。但这不应当阻碍我们在可以达成共识的领域进行努力。我们不应当仅仅因为我们认为这于政治不利或仅仅因为我们党派中的极端人士不喜欢“妥协”一词就不在我们确有共识或可以达成共识的领域采取行动。

I will look for willing partners wherever I can to get important work done. And there's no good reason why we can't govern responsibly, despite our differences, without lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis. In fact, one of the things that I hope all of us have learned these past few weeks is that it turns out smart, effective government is important. It matters. I think the American people during this shutdown had a chance to get some idea of all the things, large and small, that government does that make a difference in people's lives.

我将尽可能寻找愿意合作的伙伴以便完成重要的工作。尽管我们有分歧，但为什么我们不能负责任地治理，不再从一个人为的危机陷入另一个人为的危机，这没有任何说得通的理由。事实上，我们希望我们所有人都能在最近几周懂得的一点是，事实证明明智的、有效力的政府是重要的。它关系重大。我认为美国人民在这段政府关闭时期都有机会多少了解到政府在人民生活中所发挥的大大小小的作用。

We hear all the time about how government is the problem. Well, it turns out we rely on it in a whole lot of ways. Not only does it keep us strong through our military and our law enforcement, it plays a vital role in caring for our seniors and our veterans, educating our kids, making sure our workers are trained for the jobs that are being created, arming our businesses with the best science and technology so they can compete with companies from other countries. It plays a key role in keeping our food and our toys and our workplaces safe. It helps folks rebuild after a storm. It conserves our natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.

我们总听到有人说政府是问题所在。但事实是，我们在许许多多的方面都要依赖政府。政府不仅通过我们的军队和执法力量保持我国的强大，还发挥着至关重要的作用来照顾我们的老年人和退伍军人、教育我们的儿童，确保我们的劳动者得到培训能走上正在出现的工作岗位、让我们的公司企业掌握最先进的科学和技术以便同其他国家的公司竞争。政府发挥着关键作用，保障我们的食品、玩具和工作场所的安全。政府帮助经历风灾的灾民重建家园。政府保护着我们的自然资源。政府为初创公司提供资金。政府帮助我们将产品销往海外。政府保障我们在海外的外交人员的安全。

So let's work together to make government work better, instead of treating it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That’s not what the founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-government. You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it. But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country is about.

因此，让我们共同协作，使政府更好地履行其职能，而不是把它视作敌人或故意使它把工作做得更糟糕。这不是建国先贤们在为我们建立自治政府时所抱持的愿景。你如果不喜欢某项政策或某一位总统，可以陈述你的观点和理由。你可以参加竞选并努力取胜。你可以推动变革。但不要毁掉它。不要毁掉我们的前辈用了两个多世纪建立起来的制度。那样做有悖于我们的立国之本。

And that brings me to one last point. I’ve got a simple message for all the dedicated and patriotic federal workers who’ve either worked without pay or been forced off the job without pay these past few weeks, including most of my own staff: Thank you. Thanks for your service. Welcome back. What you do is important. It matters.

就此延伸到我要讲的最后一点。我要对所有无私奉献、热爱祖国的联邦政府雇员们说一句话。在过去几周里，他们中一部分人坚守工作岗位，还有一部分人被迫离开工作岗位，但都没有能够领取薪水，包括直接为我工作的人员。我要说：谢谢你们。谢谢你们的奉献。欢迎你们回到工作岗位上来。你们的工作非常重要，不可缺少。

You defend our country overseas. You deliver benefits to our troops who’ve earned them when they come home. You guard our borders. You protect our civil rights. You help businesses grow and gain footholds in overseas markets. You protect the air we breathe and the water our children drink. And you push the boundaries of science and space, and you guide hundreds of thousands of people each day through the glories of this country. Thank you. What you do is important. And don't let anybody else tell you different. Especially the young people who come to this city to serve -- believe that it matters. Well, you know what, you’re right. It does.

你们在海外捍卫我们的国家。当我们的军人返回家园时，你们为他们提供他们应当得到的福利。你们保卫着我们的边境。你们护佑着我们的公民权利。你们帮助企业发展并在海外市场站稳脚跟。你们保护着我们呼吸的空气和孩子们的饮用水。你们开拓科学和太空的疆界，你们每天导引着千千万万人欣赏这个国家的壮丽景色。谢谢你们。你们的工作很重要。有人想要否定这一点，请不要相信他们的话。特别是那些怀着做奉献的理想来到这座城市的年轻人——你们相信自己的工作的重要性。你们知道吗？你们是正确的。你们的工作的确很重要。

And those of us who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can. We come from different parties, but we are Americans first. And that’s why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction. It can't degenerate into hatred. The American people’s hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours. Our obligations are to them. Our regard for them compels us all, Democrats and Republicans, to cooperate, and compromise, and act in the best interests of our nation –- one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

我们这些有幸为国效力的人承担着一项义务，要尽力做好我们的工作。我们属于不同的政党，但首先我们都是美国人。因此，不同意见并不意味着[让政府]瘫痪。它不应当沦为仇恨。重要的是美国人民的希望和梦想，而不是我们的个人得失。我们对他们承担义务，我们对他们的尊重促使我们——民主党人和共和党人——进行合作和妥协，维护我们的祖国的最大利益——这是神所庇佑的同一个国家，不可分割，每一个人都享有自由和公正。

Thanks very much.

非常感谢。

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