On VA Advanced Funding
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-10-31 00:09 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. Good afternoon. Before we begin, I'd actually like to say a few words about something that is of interest to the broader public. Obviously how we treat our veterans(退伍军人) is hugely important, but I just want to make a quick comment about the decision made public today by Ken2 Feinberg on executive compensation(管理层薪资水平).

I've always believed that our system of free enterprise works best when it rewards hard work. This is America. We don't disparage3(蔑视,贬损) wealth; we don't begrudge4(嫉妒,羡慕) anybody for doing well. We believe in success. But it does offend our values when executives of big financial firms -- firms that are struggling -- pay themselves huge bonuses, even as they continue to rely on taxpayer5 assistance to stay afloat(漂浮的).

And that's why last summer, we gave Ken Feinberg and his team the task of making an independent judgment6 on the executive pay packages for firms that received extraordinary assistance from the federal government. He was faced with the difficult task of striking the proper balance between standing7 up for taxpayers8 and returning a measure of stability to our financial system. Under these competing interests, I believe he's taken an important step forward today in curbing9 the influence of executive compensation on Wall Street while still allowing these companies to succeed and prosper(兴隆,成功).

But more work needs to be done, which is why I urge the Senate to pass legislation that will give company shareholders10 a voice on the pay packages awarded to their executives. And I also urge Congress to continue moving forward on financial reform that will help prevent the crisis we saw last fall from happening again.

Now, in just a few days -- a few weeks -- we will be observing Veterans Day. We'll pause again to pay tribute to(称赞,歌颂) all those who have worn America's uniform. We reflect on their sacrifices and those of their families -- citizens who've done their duty and who have fulfilled their responsibilities to their nation. As a nation, we'll pledge(保证,誓言) to fulfill11 our responsibilities to our veterans, because our commitment to our veterans is a sacred trust, and upholding that trust is a moral obligation.

On that day, on Veterans Day, after all the parades and all the solemn ceremonies, a lot of veterans may ask: Does America really mean it? Will America keep its promise, not simply with words, but with deeds?

Since taking office, my administration has worked hard with many of you to make sure that America fulfills12 our obligations to our veterans and their families. With Secretary Ric Shinseki in the lead, we're building a 21st century VA: We're harnessing technologies to cut the red tape and backlogs13(积累). We're investing in mobile clinics to reach rural areas. We're moving towards a single lifetime electronic health record for everyone in uniform. We're making it a top priority to end homelessness among our veterans.

We dramatically increased funding for veterans health care: more care for women's veterans, for our wounded warriors14 from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder15, traumatic(外伤的,创伤的) brain injuries. For 500,000 "Priority 8" veterans, we're restoring VA health care coverage16.

All told, we have made the biggest commitment to veterans -- the largest percentage increase in the VA budget -- in more than 30 years. (Applause.) And this includes funding the post-9/11 GI Bill -- making sure it works as intended so our newest veterans and their families have the chance to pursue their education and live out their dreams.

So we're keeping our promises. We're making real progress for our vets17 -- like those with us today, including Maryland Lieutenant18 Governor Anthony Brown, the highest-ranking elected official in the nation who has served a tour of duty in Iraq. Thank you, Colonel Brown. (Applause.)

But we're here today because a problem that's gone on for far too long -- the delays and uncertainty19 that often plague(折磨,苦恼) funding for veterans' health care. Over the past two decades, the VA budget has been late almost every year, often by months.

At this very moment, the VA is operating without a budget, making it harder for VA medical centers and clinics to deliver the care our vets need. The hardworking folks at the VA know this. I was there at headquarters this spring. Michelle was there -- if I'm not mistaken, Ric -- just this Tuesday. It's frustrating20 for them and it's frustrating for our vets who pay the price when budgets are delayed: the new doctors, nurses, and critical staff that aren't hired; the new medical equipment that isn't purchased; the construction of new facilities and clinics that isn't started; the new programs for medical care that are delayed.

This is inexcusable(不可宽恕的,不可原谅的). It's unacceptable. It's time for it to stop. And that's just what we'll do with this landmark21 legislation -- the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act.

I want everybody to know today is a victory for all the veterans' organizations who are represented on this stage who fought for years for reform. (Applause.) They deserve a huge congratulations. (Applause.) Today is a tribute to those who led the fight in Congress: Senator -- and World War II vet1 -- Danny Akaka, and Representative Bob Filner -- thank you for your leadership. (Applause.)

All the leaders who made this possible, starting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who made this commitment to veterans organizations when she became Minority Leader. (Applause.) I was told some people didn't believe Nancy when she made that promise. (Laughter.) Nancy keeps her promises, and I want all our vets to remember that.

Senator Tim Johnson -- for his great work in the Senate. (Applause.) Somebody who has been fighting for veterans since he entered into Congress and is just tireless on this issue -- Chet Edwards. Please give Chet a big round of applause. (Applause.) The other members of Congress who worked so hard: Michael Michaud -- (applause) -- Phil Hare -- Phil is right here. (Applause.) Harry22 Brown -- Harry Brown did great work on this. (Applause.) And so many others. This is a reminder23 of what's possible when we come together, Democrats24 and Republicans, to do right by our veterans.

And let me say that I take special pride in this legislation because as a senator I was a proud co-sponsor of this legislation. I served on the Veterans Affairs Committee. In the campaign last year, you all remember, I made a promise to pass it. And today as President, I'm fulfilling that promise and I'm going to sign it into law. (Applause.)

With this legislation we're fundamentally reforming how we fund health care for our veterans. With advance appropriations25, veterans' medical care will be funded a year in advance. For the VA, this means timely, sufficient and predictable funding from year to year. For VA hospitals and clinics, it means more time to budget, to recruit high-quality professionals, and to invest in new health care equipment.

And most of all, for our veterans it will mean better access to the doctors and nurses and the medical care that they need: specialized26 care for our wounded warriors with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, and the staffing to welcome back to the VA those half-million "Priority 8" vets.

In short, this is common-sense reform. It promotes accountability at the VA. It ensures oversight27 by Congress. It is fiscally28 responsible by not adding a dime29 to the deficit30. And it ensures that veterans' health care will no longer be held hostage to the annual budget battles in Washington. (Applause.)

Of course, as we all know, keeping faith with our veterans is work that is never truly done. Today's veterans expect and deserve the highest-quality care -- as will tomorrow's veterans, especially our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And should they ask this Veterans Day, will America back up its words with deeds -- because of everyone in this room, because of this reform legislation, the answer will be, yes, the United States of America will keep our promise to our veterans. We will fulfill our responsibilities. We will uphold our obligations to all who serve. And that's why I am thrilled to be signing this legislation into law right now.

Thank you very much. God bless you. (Applause.)

(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)

END
2:39 P.M. EDT



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vet 2HfyG     
n.兽医,退役军人;vt.检查
参考例句:
  • I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
  • Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。
2 ken k3WxV     
n.视野,知识领域
参考例句:
  • Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
  • Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.
3 disparage nldzJ     
v.贬抑,轻蔑
参考例句:
  • Your behaviour will disparage the whole family.你的行为将使全家丢脸。
  • Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength or power.不要贬低你自己或降低你的力量或能力。
4 begrudge jubzX     
vt.吝啬,羡慕
参考例句:
  • I begrudge spending so much money on train fares.我舍不得把这么多钱花在火车票上。
  • We should not begrudge our neighbour's richness.我们不应该嫉妒邻人的富有。
5 taxpayer ig5zjJ     
n.纳税人
参考例句:
  • The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
  • The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。
6 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
7 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
8 taxpayers 8fa061caeafce8edc9456e95d19c84b4     
纳税人,纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
  • She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。
9 curbing 8c36e8e7e184a75aca623e404655efad     
n.边石,边石的材料v.限制,克制,抑制( curb的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
  • A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。
10 shareholders 7d3b0484233cf39bc3f4e3ebf97e69fe     
n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
  • the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任
11 fulfill Qhbxg     
vt.履行,实现,完成;满足,使满意
参考例句:
  • If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了,你就要履行你的诺言。
  • This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
12 fulfills 192c9e43c3273d87e5e92f3b1994933e     
v.履行(诺言等)( fulfill的第三人称单数 );执行(命令等);达到(目的);使结束
参考例句:
  • He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
  • His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句
13 backlogs 0a60abc592f1bec7e81887d79f1d88ad     
积压未办之事( backlog的名词复数 ); 没交付的订货; 备用; 备用物
参考例句:
  • "You'll need kindling and medium wood and logs and backlogs. “点火柴、引火柴、原木、垫底的,你都用得着。” 来自名作英译部分
  • Our manufacturers have heavy backlogs on their hands. 我们的生产厂商手头有许多积压而没有交付的订单。
14 warriors 3116036b00d464eee673b3a18dfe1155     
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
  • The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。
15 disorder Et1x4     
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调
参考例句:
  • When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后,他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
  • It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。
16 coverage nvwz7v     
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖
参考例句:
  • There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
  • This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
17 vets 3e28450179d627638b3132ebb3ba0906     
abbr.veterans (复数)老手,退伍军人;veterinaries (复数)兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 );老兵;退伍军人;兽医诊所v.审查(某人过去的记录、资格等)( vet的第三人称单数 );调查;检查;诊疗
参考例句:
  • I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
  • In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上,我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网
18 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
19 uncertainty NlFwK     
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物
参考例句:
  • Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
  • After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后,压力开始产生影响了。
20 frustrating is9z54     
adj.产生挫折的,使人沮丧的,令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
参考例句:
  • It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间,真令人懊恼。
  • It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
22 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
23 reminder WkzzTb     
n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示
参考例句:
  • I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
  • It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知,她才付应该交的房租。
24 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
  • The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 appropriations dbe6fbc02763a03b4f9bd9c27ac65881     
n.挪用(appropriation的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是,拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
  • Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案,就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
26 specialized Chuzwe     
adj.专门的,专业化的
参考例句:
  • There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
  • These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。
27 oversight WvgyJ     
n.勘漏,失察,疏忽
参考例句:
  • I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
  • Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。
28 fiscally 4217641d0ca8ff64c55ee7fbbbeaa396     
在国库方面,财政上,在国库岁入方面
参考例句:
  • Nor will fiscally stretched governments pump more money into the political equivalent of a leper colony. 财政吃紧的政府也不愿将更多的钱投入这个避之唯恐不及的政治瘟疫区。
  • We are more fiscally constrained, which forces us to work smarter and more efficiently. 与F-15相比我们资金上的限制更大了,美女类小游戏,这迫使我们更为精心和有效地工作。
29 dime SuQxv     
n.(指美国、加拿大的钱币)一角
参考例句:
  • A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
  • The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。
30 deficit tmAzu     
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差
参考例句:
  • The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
  • We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
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