Republicans Prepare to Assume Control of US Senate
VOA News
Last Updated on: Novenmber 11, 2014 12:11 PM (source)
Michael Bowman
WASHINGTON—
 The U.S. Congress returns to work Wednesday after last week’s midterm elections that saw Republicans win control of the Senate and expand their majority in the House of Representatives. Many of President Barack Obama’s fiercest opponents are preparing to assume powerful positions in the chamber, which has been under Democratic control since 2007.
Scaffolding blankets the exterior dome of the Capitol building, where workers toil on a two-year restoration project. Change is also afoot inside the landmark structure, as Republicans prepare to assume control of the Senate in January.
The Senate top Republican, Mitch McConnell, will become majority leader and decide which bills are debated on the floor.
上周期中選舉後，美國國會於周三開始工作。選後共和黨贏得參議院控制權，並擴大眾議院的多數優勢。諸位曾嚴厲批評歐巴馬的人士也將出任議院中的重要職務，而 自2007年以來，議院一直是由民主黨控制。(編按：美國國會統稱Congress，而依美國制度可再分為參議院Senate與眾議院House of Representatives。)
鷹架(scaffolding)包覆住美國國會大廈(the Capitol building)的圓形屋頂外部 (exterior)，工人們努力施工(toil)，進行為期兩年的修復(restoration)計畫。這個地標(landmark)建築內也正進行(afoot)著另一個改變：共和黨將於一月重掌參議院控制權。
共和黨在參議院的牛耳米奇‧麥康諾(Mitch McConnell)將成為多數黨領袖，可決定哪些議案(bill)能進入全院審議( . . . debated on the floor)。(編 按：floor當然是「地板」的意思， 但透過轉喻，也能指「會議進行的場合」、「與會人士聚集的席位」，而掌握了會議場所和與會者的席位，也就是掌握了他們的注意力，從這再進一步衍生出「發言 權」的意思。這樣的用語有have the floor和take the floor，表示主導會議場所的發言權，例如May I have the floor, please? (可以讓我說話嗎？可以請大家聽一下我說的話嗎？) 新聞中的the floor則是指國會這個場所的議員席位，議案能夠被在國會這個場所中被辯論，意思就是能進入討論與審議。)
Many of those bills will have been approved by Senate committees, all of which will have Republican chairmen. The Foreign Relations Committee will be led by Senator Bob Corker, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration’s plan to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Corker was characteristically blunt in his assessment of the plan at a committee hearing earlier this year where Secretary of State John Kerry testified.
這些法案大多都須由參議院委員會(committee)通過，而各委員 會主席將由共和黨員擔任。外交關係委員會將由議員鮑勃柯克(Bob Corker)擔任主席。對於歐巴馬政府打擊伊拉克與敘利亞內伊斯蘭國組織武裝份子(militant)的計畫，他曾直言不諱的(outspoken)批評。美國國務卿約翰凱瑞(John Kerry)今年稍早於委員會聽證會(hearing)作證時，柯克評論歐巴馬作戰計畫效益時即表現出其一貫不假辭色、直率的(blunt)風格。
“You are asking us to approve something that we know makes no sense. This does not even seem serious,” said Corker.
The new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to be John McCain, President Obama’s 2008 Republican opponent, and an advocate of a more muscular U.S. response to global crises, including Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
“This president does not understand Vladimir Putin. He does not understand his ambitions. He does not understand that Putin is an old KGB colonel bent on restoration of the Russian empire,” said McCain.
Even with a Republican-controlled legislature, President Obama will retain authority over U.S. foreign policy and remain commander-in-chief of the military for his final two years in office.
But there are other areas of the U.S. government where Republicans will be able to exert considerable power - most notably, the budget. Only Congress can authorize federal agencies to spend taxpayer dollars. The next chairman of the Senate Budget Committee is expected to be Republican Jeff Sessions, a fiscal conservative who has opposed many of President Obama’s spending priorities.
在最後兩年在任(in office)期內，即使共和黨將控制國會立 法，歐巴馬仍持有外交政策的主導權，也仍是軍方的總司令(commander-in -chief)。
但共和黨將能在美國政府中的許多部門施行(exert)巨大的影響力，其中最明顯的就是預算的權力。只有國會能授權 給聯邦單位支用納稅人公帑(taxpayer dollars)。共和黨的傑夫‧賽辛斯(Jeff Sessions)預計將是下一個預算委員會的主席，他在財政上(fiscal)採保守立場，反對過許多歐巴馬排列的優先支出順序 (spending priorities)。(編按：spending在此表示政府所編列預算的支出，priority可指「事情的重要性」或「一些事情的優先處理順序」，故spending priorities也就是政府編列預算時，考量各項支出後所排列的優先順序，也就反應出執政者對每項支出在政策與治理上所被賦予的重要性。)
“The unemployment bill that is before us today makes no attempt whatsoever to find spending reductions in other areas of this monstrosity of a government, but borrows every penny of it,” said Sessions.
Additionally, Senate Republicans will have the power to confirm or reject President Obama’s nominees for a wide range of federal positions, from agency heads to ambassadors to judges. Republican Chuck Grassley, who is expected to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee, has voted against scores of Obama-nominated judges, accusing many of them of judicial activism.
此外，參議院的共和黨委員將有權力批准或駁回歐巴馬許多聯邦職位的被提名人 (nominee)，如各聯邦部門主管、大使 (ambassador)和法官。共和黨的查克‧葛拉斯李(Chuck Grassley)預計將會領導參議院的司法委員會，他曾投票反對過多位 (scores of . . .)歐巴馬提名的法官，譴責其中多位將個人政治立場帶入司法(judicial activism)。(編按：judicial activism可看wikipedia的定義(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_activism ))：judicial activism一 詞是指不依據現行法律，而疑似把個人或政治的考量作為司法審判的依據。(“Judicial activism is a term that describes judicial rulings suspected of being based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law.” ) 故此譯為「將個人政治立場帶入司法」。)
“Judges are called upon to decide cases based upon laws applied to the facts. Judges are supposed to judge and not have political vision because they do not run for office,” said Grassley.
With control of both houses of Congress, Republicans have a limited mandate, according to University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato.
“I would call it a mandate to check [rein in] President Obama. There is not a whole lot of governing that is going to go on in the next two years," Sabato said.
Democrats will retain Senate control for the remainder of the year, and are expected to try to confirm as many Obama nominees as possible before handing over power to Republicans.
維吉尼亞大學的賴瑞‧薩巴托(Larry Sabato)分析認為，共和黨控制了國會兩議院，等於是得到了人民一定限度的授權(mandate)。
「我想將此解讀為人民授權給共和黨來約束(check; rein in)歐巴馬。接下來兩年，歐馬巴的政府將不會 有太大空間。」
在今年剩下的時間(the remainder of...)民主黨仍保有參議院的控制權，預料民主黨在把權力轉交給(hand over power to...)共和黨之前，將會盡可能通過歐巴馬所提名的人事案。
Language Notes
1. assume (v) 承擔;就任
2. chamber (n) 議院 *chamber另一個常見的意思是「寢室、房間」
3. exterior (a) 外部的
4. toil (v) 苦幹；努力地作
5. afoot (a) 在進行中的;活動著的
6. the floor (n) 議會場所，議員的席位；發言權
7. outspoken (a) 坦率的;直言不諱的
8. blunt (a) 耿直的,直率的;直言不諱
9. fiscal (a) 財政的;會計的
10. judiciary (n) 司法、司法制度 * judiciary也可作為集合名詞，指「法官」，例The judiciary has/have been consulted. (已諮詢過法官們意見。) 新聞中令有形容詞judicial ，指「司法的」與「有關審判的」
11. scores of . . . (phr) 眾多的. . .
12. mandate (n) (選民對選出的代表、議會等的)授權，委任
Check your vocabulary!
Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, select the text below to reveal the hidden answers.
1. I've been toiling away at this essay all weekend.
2. There were plans afoot for a second attack.
3. Scores of reporters gathered outside the courthouse.
4. The exterior walls need a new coat of paint.
5. Jim Paton will assume the role of managing director.
編譯：簡嘉呈
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The west front of the United States Capitol in 2013
