奥巴马每周电视讲话:总统呼吁化解波多黎各经济危机
Hi, everybody. Today, I want to talk with you about the crisis in Puerto Rico – and why it matters to all of us.
大家好。今天，我打算与各位谈谈波多黎各的经济危机–以及为什么它与我们所有人息息相关。
Puerto Ricans are American citizens, just like folks in Maine or Oklahoma or New Mexico. And over the last decade, Puerto Rico has suffered through a deep and painful recession – but unlike the rest of the United States, it hasn't recovered.
波多黎各人是美国公民，就像缅因州、俄克拉荷马州和新墨西哥州的人们一样。在过去的十年里，波多黎各经历了水深火热的衰退–但是与美国的其它州不同，它至今没有复苏。
Today, the island continues to face a crippling economic crisis. Schools are closing. Power is being cut off at homes and hospitals. Teachers have to choose between turning on the lights or turning on the computers. Doctors can't get medicine to treat newborns unless they pay in cash. And as the Zika virus threatens both the island and the mainland, workers dealing with mosquito control to help protect women and their unborn babies are at risk of being laid off.
今天，这个岛国仍然面对阻碍经济发展的危机。学校关门。住宅和医院的工地中断。老师们不得不在开灯还是开电脑之间选择。除非用现金支付，医生无法得到药品给新生儿治病。随着在卡病毒在该岛国和美洲大陆泛滥，执行蚊虫控制以帮助保护妇女和她们的胎儿的工人们，面临被下岗的遭遇。
Right now, Puerto Rico is spending about a third of its tax revenue on debt payments – far more than anywhere else in America. And on July 1, the island faces another $2 billion in debt payments that it cannot pay.
迄今为止，波多黎各将三分之一的税收用于支付债务–远远高于美洲的任何地方。七月一日，该岛国将面对它无法支付的另外$20亿美元的债务。
There is only one way for Puerto Rico to pull itself out of this crisis – and that's by restructuring its debt and finding a sustainable fiscal path toward growth and opportunity for its people. But here's the problem. Right now, Puerto Rico doesn't have the tools it needs to restructure its debt – tools available elsewhere in America.
波多黎各只有一条摆脱危机的出路–那就是通过债务重组和找到，通往经济增长和给其人民机会的可持续的金融途径。但是问题有以下几个。迄今为止，波多黎各没有必要的金融工具重组它的债务–美洲其它地方都有的金融工具。
And only Congress can fix the problem, and put Puerto Rico on a path to recovery.
只有国会能解决这个问题，并且使波多黎各走上复兴之路。
Thankfully, this week, the House overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to address the crisis, and I now urge the Senate to move quickly to follow suit. This bill won't cost federal taxpayers a dime. It doesn't include special-interest bailouts. And it gives Puerto Rico the ability to restructure its debt, safeguard essential services, and provide important protections to public pensions that more than 300,000 folks rely on to retire with dignity.
谢天谢地，本周，国会以压倒多数通过了一项两党议案来应对此危机，我现在敦促参议院尽快采取后续行动。这个议案不会花纳税人一毛钱。它也不用特殊利益群体施舍。它使波多黎各具备重组债务、保障必须的服务、和提供保护公共退休金的能力。这些退休金是300，000人退休后体面地生活的依托。
This bill also includes something else – a temporary system of oversight to help implement needed reforms and ensure transparency. I know that some folks in Puerto Rico are worried about this kind of oversight. But I've always insisted that any solution to this crisis has to respect the democratic rights of the people of Puerto Rico. And I am committed to making sure that Puerto Ricans are well-represented in this process, so that we can be sure we're taking steps that are in the island's best interests.
该议案包括其它事项–一个临时监理系统，帮助完成必要的改革和确保公开透明。我知道波多黎各的有些人对这样的监理产生了忧虑。但是我始终强调，这个危机的解决方案必须尊重波多黎各人民的民主权利。我承诺确保波多黎各人在此过程中有足够的权利，以便我们能够保证采取的措施最好地代表该岛国的利益。
This bill is not a perfect solution – nobody's saying it is. That's what happens in divided government. But it's the only option on the table to save Puerto Rico from spiraling out of control. And that's exactly what would happen if Congress fails to do its job.
该法案不是完美无缺的–没有人这样说。它体现了分裂的政府发生的一切。但是它是我们能通过的唯一选择，以避免波多黎各进入失控的尾旋。这就是如果国会不履行其职责，就必然发生的。
There's no question this is a trying time for folks in Puerto Rico. They've seen too many jobs lost and too many neighbors leave in search of better opportunity elsewhere. It's clear that it's time for Puerto Rico to chart a new course and make a fresh start. This bill is just a first step.
毫无疑问，波多黎各人民正处于艰难时期。那里失业人数激增，人们背井离乡去找更好的机会。现在是波多黎各规划一条新路线，开始崭新的一页的时候了。本议案仅仅是第一步。
We all have more work to do to make sure that the people of Puerto Rico receive the health care they deserve and the good jobs and economic opportunities they need to build a better future for their kids. And I want the people of Puerto Rico to know that my administration is committed to your success. Because you're vital to America's success.
我们有很多工作要做，以确保波多黎各人民得到他们应得的医保和好工作，和他们为他们的孩子们打造更好的未来的经济机会。我希望波多黎各人民知道，本届政府确保你们的成功。因为你们对美国的成功至关重要。
That's what this is all about. We don't turn our backs on our fellow Americans. We don't treat folks differently because of where they live. Instead, we treat each other as Americans. We come together, especially when it's hard. That's how we've always set ourselves on a course toward a brighter day.
这就是本议案的全部意义。我们不会在我们的人民有难时袖手旁观。我们不会因为他们生活的地区不同而不一视同仁。相反，我们待人如己。我们同舟共济，特别是在困难时期。我们就是这样使我们自己永远走在通往更加光明的一天的道路上。
Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend.
谢谢各位，周末快乐。
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