US Vice President-Elect Promises Action to Revive Economy
美新经济刺激方案细节正逐步形成

　 
U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden says the incoming White House economic team is making progress toward agreeing on details of an economic stimulus plan. President-elect Barack Obama's advisers are increasing the number of jobs they want to create.

美国副总统当选人拜登表示，即将走马上任的白宫经济团队正在就一个经济刺激方案的细节达成一致。当选总统奥巴马的顾问们希望创造更多的就业机会。

As he met with the economic team, Biden said Tuesday that America's job losses are more than experts had previously believed, and so a bigger stimulus package is needed.

拜登星期二和经济团队会面。他说，美国人失去的工作比专家们预计的还要多，因此需要一个更大的经济刺激一揽子计划。

"This deterioration in the nation's unemployment situation has led the president-elect to instruct our economic team, some of which are assembled here today, to raise the goal of our stimulus plan from 2.5 milion jobs to three million new jobs to be created over the next two years," he said.

他说：“全国失业情况的恶化导致当选总统向我们的经济团队作出指示，把经济刺激方案中在今后两年里创造250万个新的工作机会的目标提高到300万。”

Former Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who will lead Mr. Obama's National Economic Council, told reporters that bold action is required immediately.

前克林顿政府的财政部长萨默斯是奥巴马国家经济委员会负责人。他对记者们表示，需要立即采取大胆的行动。

"Without substantial policy action, we would almost certainly face the worst economic downturn since the Second World War," he said.

他说：“如果不采取广泛的政策行动，我们必定面临第二次世界大战以来最恶劣的经济滑坡。”

Mr. Obama's economic team and the Democrats who control Congress are trying to agree on the outline of the plan in time for lawmakers to act on it early in January. They hope to have it ready for Mr. Obama to enact it as soon as possible after he takes office on January 20.

奥巴马的经济团队和控制着国会的民主党人正在试图就经济刺激方案的大纲达成协议，以便明年1月国会复会时进行讨论。他们希望奥巴马1月20号宣誓就职后马上就可以批准国会通过的方案。

Vice President-elect Biden says the new administration and congressional leaders are very close to agreeing on the size of the stimulus package, and where the money will go. He says the president-elect and his advisers want to spend much of it to rebuild the nation's infrastructure.

副总统当选人拜登说，新政府和国会领导人已经接近就刺激方案的规模以及资金流向达成一致。他说，当选总统和他的顾问们希望把大部分钱用于改建美国的基础设施。

"This plan will be focused on making investments in health care, education and energy, among other areas. And it will be directed at critical investments in the nation's roads and our bridges," he said. "I know there is some talk of us investing in programs that are already in existence. But we have let our infrastructure crumble for a long, long time - from water to roads to bridges - and it makes sense to invest in them now."

他说：“这个方案的焦点是对医疗保险、教育和能源以及其他领域进行投资，其中包括对全国道路和桥梁的关键投资。我知道有些人说我们是在对现有项目进行投资。但是我们忽略基础设施--从水利工程到道路桥梁--的时间太长了，现在加强这方面的投资是有道理的。”

The cost of the proposed stimulus plan is estimated to be between $650 billion and $850 billion. Mr. Biden says U.S. taxpayers can rest assured that the package will not contain earmarks - special-interest projects that lawmakers often attach to spending bills.

预计，拟议中的经济刺激计划的总金额将达到6千5百亿至8千5百亿美元。拜登表示，美国纳税人可以放心，经济刺激方案中将不会包括特别拨款，也就是国会议员们通常夹在支出法案中对自己选区有好处的工程。

"This is not going to be politics as usual. And we will not tolerate business as usual in Washington," he said. "There will be - let me say it again - there will be no earmarks in this economic recovery plan."

他说：“现在不能够一如既往了。我们不能够容忍华盛顿一如既往地运转。让我再说一遍，在经济复苏计划中，不会有任何特别拨款。”

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that the nation's gross domestic product, or GDP - the value of all of the goods and services produced in the United States - shrank by an annual rate of one-half of one percent between July and September.

星期二，美国商务部报告说，从今年7月到9月，美国的国内生产总值缩减了百分之零点五。