US Budget Deficit Expected to Hit Record
美国联邦赤字明年将打破记录

　 
The Bush administration says the ballooning U.S. federal budget deficit will rise even higher next year, shattering the record set four years ago.

布什政府表示，上扬的美国联邦赤字明年甚至会进一步高升，打破四年前的最高记录。

In a report to Congress, the Bush administration says federal expenditures will exceed revenues by $389 billion this year, and by a record-high $482 billion in fiscal year 2009. The figures do not take into account the full costs of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

布什政府在发给国会的报告中说，联邦支出今年将超过收入3千8百90亿美元，而在财政年度2009年超支将打破最高记录达4千8百20亿美元。这些金额还没有把美国在伊拉克和阿富汗行动的全部花费计算在内。

Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle says a slowing economy combined with the costs of an economic stimulus package, are the main culprits for the current spike in the deficit.

管理及预算办公室主任尼塞尔说，经济发展减缓再加上经济刺激方案的费用是目前赤字直线上升的根源。

"Earlier this year, the president and Congress, on a bipartisan basis, correctly agreed that action was needed for our economy, and made a deliberate and conscious decision to temporarily increase the deficit in order to get money into the people's hands, and spur consumption," he said.

他说：“今年上半年，布什总统和国会在两党协作的基础上达成正确的一致意见，即需要对我国经济采取行动，作出深思熟虑和明智的决定暂时增加赤字，以便让人们手头有钱，并刺激消费增长。”

Despite the staggeringly high deficit numbers, the administration points out that, as a percentage of gross domestic product, the federal deficit will be smaller next year than it was in 2004, when the deficit topped $400 billion.

尽管赤字扶摇直上，布什政府指出，明年联邦赤字在国内经济总产值中的比例将小于2004年，当时的联邦赤字曾达4千亿美元的顶峰。

Nevertheless, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says President Bush is determined to enforce greater fiscal discipline while pursuing a pro-growth economic strategy.

然而白宫发言人佩里诺说，布什总统决心在遵行促进经济发展政策的同时，强化财政管制。

"President Bush has tried to hold the line across the board when it comes to this Congress trying to raise taxes on the American people or raise spending unnecessarily," she said. "He has not been afraid to veto bills."

佩里诺说：“布什总统努力全面抵制国会增加美国人民赋税或增加不必要开支的企图。他在否决议案方面并不手软。”

Perino added that defense and security costs since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States have placed enormous financial burdens on the country, but that those expenditures are vital and appropriate.

佩里诺又说，自从恐怖分子向美国发动9/11袭击以来，国防和安全开支大大加重了美国的财政负担，但是那些开支是至关重要而且恰当的。

When President Bush entered office, the United States enjoyed a fiscal surplus of $128 billion. The president's critics note that Mr. Bush is the first president in U.S. history to cut taxes during a time of war.

当布什总统就任时，美国有1千2百80亿美元的财政盈余。批评布什总统的人注意到，布什是美国历史上第一个在战争时期减税的总统。

House Budget Committee Chairman Democratic Representative John Spratt is quoted as deriding President Bush's "dismal legacy" in fiscal matters, converting record surpluses into record deficits.

众议院预算委员会主席、民主党议员斯普拉特曾说，布什总统在财政方面留下了惨淡的遗产，把创记录的盈余转变成创记录的赤字。

The administration projects the United States will avert a recession, recording sluggish growth of 1.6 percent this year. The administration says it expects the deficit will fall sharply after 2009, keeping the country on-target for Mr. Bush's goal of a balanced budget by 2012.

布什政府预计，美国今年将能避免经济衰退局面，取得1.6%的缓慢增长率。布什政府说，预计2009年之后，赤字会大幅下降，使得全国往布什总统所设定的在2012年达到预算平衡的目标迈进。