美國政府爲下月關門做準備

The Obama administration has begun preparations for a possible government shutdown next month as conservative Republicans who are on the warpath over abortion threaten to block public funding.

奧巴馬(Obama)政府已開始爲下月可能出現的政府關門做準備，因爲在墮胎問題上持強硬立場的保守派共和黨人威脅要阻斷公共部門所需的資金。

With business leaders warning of the damaging consequences of budget brinkmanship, a member of President Barack Obama’s cabinet said the need for contingency planning was “very, very frustrating”.

商界領袖們對預算“邊緣政策”的破壞性後果發出了警告，美國總統巴拉克攠巴馬(Barack Obama)內閣的一名成員表示需要準備應急計劃，這讓人“非常、非常無奈”。

Sally Jewell, secretary of the interior, said on Tuesday: “I can’t tell you how ridiculous it is [running] an organisation with 70,000 people who are committed to their missions.. have to work with them on shutdown planning right now because Congress has not acted on the budget.”

美國內政部長薩莉ㄠ葧爾(Sally Jewell)週二表示：“簡直沒法說這件事有多可笑，（管理）一個7萬名僱員各盡其責的機構……現在卻不得不跟他們一起準備關門計劃，就因爲國會在預算上問題不作爲。”

The latest deadline in the US’s recurring budget crisis is the end of the fiscal year on September 30, when government funding expires. To avert a repeat of the 2013 shutdown, lawmakers must reach a stopgap accord to continue spending at current levels into October.

在美國反覆出現的預算危機中，最新的“最後期限”是本財年結束的9月30日，屆時美國政府的資金會耗盡。爲避免2013年的政府關門重演，議員們必須達成一項臨時性協議，使政府在進入10月後能夠保持當前的支出水平。

While no congressional leaders want a shutdown, conservative lawmakers have complicated attempts to avert one by vowing to vote against any spending bill that continues funding for Planned Parenthood, a health group.

儘管沒有哪位國會領導人希望政府關門，但保守派議員們爲避免關門的努力添加了難度，他們發誓要否決任何繼續爲衛生組織“計劃生育”(Planned Parenthood)提供資金的支出議案。

The group performs abortions, and conservatives have been outraged by hidden-camera videos filmed by anti-abortion activists, which they claim show its officials seeking to sell foetal tissue — a charge Planned Parenthood strenuously denies.

“計劃生育”提供墮胎服務，保守派議員則對反墮胎活動人士用隱蔽攝像頭拍到的視頻感到憤怒，他們聲稱，這些視頻顯示“計劃生育”的官員試圖出售胎兒組織——而“計劃生育”極力否認這一指控。