【英语生活】预算问题将成美国下届财长的工作重点

President Barack Obama's nomination of close adviser Jacob Lew as the next Treasury secretary elicited little opposition from Republicans Thursday, but many signaled they would use the confirmation process to grill him about the administration's future tax and spending plans.

One of Mr. Lew's primary tasks is likely to be helping shape a deficit-reduction package with Congress in the coming months, followed by a tax-code overhaul later this year. The White House wants any deficit-reduction package to include both spending cuts and tax increases. Republicans oppose any tax increases─following the New Year's Day deal to raise rates on upper-income Americans─and say any plan should consist entirely of spending cuts.
Congress is already girding for a clash over whether to raise the government's borrowing limit in February. Many federal agencies also are drawing up contingency plans if Congress doesn't avert spending cuts scheduled to begin March 1.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta directed the military Thursday to begin taking what he called 'prudent' cost-saving measures to mitigate the impact of spending cuts. They include freezing civilian hiring, delaying certain contract awards and curtailing nonessential facility maintenance. He said the steps should be reversible, in case Congress reaches an agreement to avert the broader cuts.

Mr. Obama on Thursday pointed to Mr. Lew's experience heading the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton and Obama administrations, as well as his current job as White House chief of staff, as positioning him well for the Treasury post. 'He's built a reputation as a master of policy who can work with members of both parties and forge principled compromises,' the president said.

Mr. Lew is expected to have enough support among senators to win confirmation, but a few have said they plan to vote against the nominee. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) said he would oppose Mr. Lew, in part because of the deficits incurred when he led the OMB during the Obama administration. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) also said he would vote no.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) said he would press for budget answers. 'It's imperative that Mr. Lew outline the administration's plans on tackling our unsustainable debt, what areas of federal spending should be cut, and what kind of reforms─from our tax code to our entitlement programs─are needed,' he said.

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) promised a 'speedy but thorough' process, and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) predicted a 'fair and prompt' deliberation. Their support is vital and would make it hard for Republicans to block the nomination.

Former Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R., N.M.) praised Mr. Lew, saying 'The president could not have chosen a person who would fit more of the qualities necessary for this job than Lew.'

Treasury Department Secretary Timothy Geithner plans to leave January 25, and it is unlikely that Mr. Lew could be confirmed by then. Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin would likely serve as acting secretary if there is a gap between Mr. Geithner's exit and Mr. Lew's confirmation, a Treasury official said.

The confirmation process for Treasury chiefs typically takes six weeks because nominees must fill out lengthy reports and submit scores of tax and other personal data. But it can stretch longer if lawmakers raise questions about personal finances, among other things. The timing is important because the Treasury Department already is using emergency steps to avoid default while Congress debates whether to raise the debt ceiling. The Bipartisan Policy Center has predicted the Treasury will exhaust its emergency steps between Feb. 15 and March 1.

DAMIAN PALETTA

上周四，美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)提名其亲密顾问雅各布•卢(Jacob Lew)出任下届美国财长的决定几乎没有引起共和党人的反对。但很多共和党人释放信号说，他们将利用提名审议过程就奥巴马政府未来的税收和支出计划对卢进行盘问。

相关报道卢的主要任务之一很有可能是在未来数月帮助国会形成削减赤字的一揽子方案，并在今年晚些时候对税法进行重大修改。白宫希望任何一份赤字削减方案能同时包括削减开支和增加税收的计划。在今年元旦达成对高收入美国人增税的协议之后，共和党人反对任何增税措施，并说任何减赤方案只能包括削减开支的措施。

在今年2月是否提高美国政府债务上限的问题上，美国国会已经做好了发生冲突的准备。许多联邦机构也正在制定应急计划，以防止美国国会无法避免定于今年3月1日开始的支出削减措施。

美国国防部长帕内塔(Leon Panetta)周四下令军方开始采取他所说的“谨慎”的成本节约措施，以减轻削减开支带来的影响。这些措施包括冻结文职人员招聘，推迟授予某些合同并减少不必要的设施维护支出。帕内塔说如果国会就避免广泛削减支出达成一致，这些举措是可逆的。

奥巴马周四指出，卢曾经在克林顿和奥巴马政府中担任白宫管理和预算办公室(Office of Management and Budget)的负责人，目前担任白宫办公厅主任。这些工作经历为卢担任美国财长做好了充分准备。奥巴马说，作为一个非常了解政策的人，卢建立了良好的声誉。他可以同两党成员展开合作，并促成有原则的妥协。

预计卢将赢得足够多数的参议员的支持，他的提名能够获得通过。但一些参议员已经表示他们计划投票反对这项提名。阿拉巴马州共和党参议员塞申斯(Jeff Sessions)表示他将反对卢的提名，部分原因是卢在奥巴马政府担任管理和预算办公室负责人期间产生的赤字。佛蒙特州无党派参议员桑德斯(Bernie Sanders)也表示他将投反对票。

犹他州共和党参议员哈奇(Orrin Hatch)说他将要求卢就如何削减预算给出答案。他说卢必须概述政府的计划，告诉我们政府将如何解决不可持续的债务负担，应该削减哪些领域的联邦支出，必须推行什么样的改革（包括税法和福利制度等方面的改革）。

美国参议院财政委员会主席、蒙大拿州民主党人鲍卡斯(Max Baucus)承诺“迅速而彻底”地对卢的提名进行审议。参议院多数党领袖、内华达州民主党人里德(Harry Reid)预计审议过程将“公正而迅速”。他们的支持至关重要，这能令共和党人难以阻挠提名的通过。

参议院预算委员会前主席、新墨西哥州共和党人多梅尼西(Pete Domenici)对卢赞誉有加，他说就担任美国财长所需的各项素质而言，奥巴马再也找不到一个能比卢更胜任这项工作的人了。

美国现任财长盖特纳(Timothy Geithner)计划于1月25日离职，届时卢的提名还不太可能获批。美国财政部的一位官员说，如果盖特纳的离职和卢的提名获批之间存在间隔，财政部副部长沃林(Neal Wolin)将有可能作为代理部长履职。

审议美国财长提名人选的过程通常需要六周时间，因为被提名人必须填写多份冗长的报告，并提交大量税务和其它个人数据。如果国会议员就被提名人的个人财务等问题提出质疑，那么审议过程可能持续更长时间。这一时间点非常关键，因为就在美国国会就是否提高政府债务上限展开辩论之时，财政部已经采取紧急措施以避免发生违约。华盛顿智库两党政策中心(Bipartisan Policy Center)预计在2月15日到3月1日之间，美国财政部的紧急措施亦将耗尽。

DAMIAN PALETTA

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