川普提名的国家情报总监将俄罗斯列为威胁
美国总统川普提名的国家情报总监周二表示,俄罗斯是主要威胁。他告诉国会议员说,莫斯科试图影响去年11月的总统大选,这是不争的事实。
前印第安纳州共和党参议员丹·科茨告诉参议院情报委员会说,俄罗斯“似乎加大力度“,试图影响美国选举。他保证,支持对克里姆林宫在美国选举中扮演的角色展开彻底调查。
现年73岁的科茨在参议院情报委员会对他提名举行的确认听证会上说,“这件事需要调查和解决。” 他还说,“我想,俄罗斯确实曾试图影响大选,这是大家都知道,承认并接受的,但是他们到底在多大程度上成功发挥了影响,我们并不知道。”
科茨还保证说,如果提名通过,他承诺让调查人员得到国会调查需要的所有文件和材料。
Trump’s Pick for Intelligence Chief Cites Russia Threat
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. intelligence community cited Russia as a top threat, telling lawmakers Tuesday it is an accepted fact that Moscow tried to influence November’s presidential election.
Former Indiana Senator Dan Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russia “seems to have stepped up their game” in its campaign to influence the American elections. He promised to support a thorough investigation of the Kremlin's role in the U.S. vote.
“It is something that needs to be investigated and addressed,” the 73-year-old Coats, a Republican, said during his confirmation hearing. “I think it is publicly known and acknowledged and accepted that Russia definitely did try to influence the campaign,” Coats said. “To what extent they were successful, I don’t think we know.”
Coats also promised that, if confirmed, he would make all relevant materials available for congressional investigations.
川普国会演讲 提倡积极变革
川普总统星期二晚上在国会山对参众两院的首次演讲,比他39天前的就职演说更为光明和积极。
“小格局的思考已经结束”,他说,“我们不再为琐碎小事而争斗。”
川普专门提到了所谓的伊斯兰国组织,他说,美国“将与我们的盟友,包括我们在穆斯林世界的朋友和盟友,将这个可恶的敌人从我们的星球消灭掉。”
川普总统呼吁花费1万亿美元重建美国的基础设施,并表示他将要求国会批准有史以来增幅最大的国防预算之一。他还承诺对企业和中产阶级减税,但没有详细说明支付这一切所需要的在其他地方削减预算的细节。有些削减肯定是幅度很大和有争议的。
据报道,国务院预算将削减多达38%。参议院多数党领袖麦康奈尔在川普讲话前告诉记者,他不会支持这种削减,也不会获得立法批准。
这位共和党领导人还表示,共和党尚未达成一项取代奥巴马签署的“平价医疗法”联邦健康保险的替代方案。
川普在讲话中说,“奥巴马医改正在崩溃,我们必须果断地采取行动保护所有美国人……因此,我呼吁国会所有民主党人和共和党人与我们合作,保护美国民众免于奥巴马医改的爆发性灾难之害。”
移民是川普总统竞选期间的一大主题,他在讲话中也提到移民问题,但是与以往有所变化,那就是,他提议建立在其他一些国家使用的审核择优的移民系统。
他还回到了他竞选时承诺的“沿我们的南部边界建造一座墙”的计划,并承诺将很快开工。但他并没有提及之前反复说过要墨西哥支付建墙费用的计划。
美国总统每年在国会两院联席会议上发表的讲话一般被称为国情咨文,而新总统第一次这样的演讲一般都会做出大量承诺。川普总统则是对一切都做出了承诺。
他在讲话中表示,“在我们国家破碎的一切都可以修复。每个问题都可以解决。”
前肯塔基州州长史蒂夫•贝舍尔代表反对党在回应时提醒川普他的一个承诺说:“你曾承诺要充当那些努力维持生计的人们的捍卫者……我希望您能兑现这一承诺。”
Trump Calls for Aggressive Change in Speech to Congress
Making his first address before the U.S. Congress, President Donald Trump projected a brighter luster Tuesday night than he did in the speech at his inauguration six weeks ago.
“The time for small thinking is over,” he declared. “The time for trivial fights is behind us.”
Specifically mentioning the so-called Islamic State group, Trump said the United States “will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.”
The president called for spending $1 trillion to rebuild America’s infrastructure and said he will ask Congress to approve one of the biggest-ever boosts in the budget for the military. He also promised tax cuts for business and the middle class but gave no details about big budgets cuts elsewhere that would be needed to pay for all of this. Some of those cuts are certain to be deep and controversial.
Amid reports that the State Department would see its budget slashed by as much as 38 percent, the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, told reporters before the speech he would not support such cuts and they will not gain legislative approval.
The Republican also said his party is not yet in agreement on a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, the federal health insurance popularly known as Obamacare.
During his address Trump asserted that “Obamacare is collapsing – and we must act decisively to protect all Americans. … So I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.”
Immigration, a common theme during Trump’s presidential campaign, was also in his remarks but with a new twist: The president proposing a merit-based system for immigration like those used in some other countries.
He also returned to his pledge to build “a great, great wall along our southern border,” promising construction will begin soon. But notably absent was his oft-repeated vow to make Mexico pay for it.
Every year when presidents appear before Congress for a joint address – known as the State of the Union – except when it’s the first such speech of a new president they utter a cornucopia of promises. But Trump may have been the first U.S. president to promise everything.
At one point he said “everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved.”
In the opposition party’s rebuttal, Beshear asked for one modest commitment to be honored by Trump, saying: “You promised to be a champion for people struggling to make ends meet and I hope you live up to that promise.”