Biden to US Congress: Ukraine Is 'Out of Money, Out of Time'

Biden to US Congress: Ukraine Is 'Out of Money, Out of Time'

拜登对美国国会说：乌克兰“钱用尽，时间也耗尽了”

【原文听力】

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　　By Dan Friedell

　　04 December 2023

　　The administration of American President Joe Biden warned lawmakers Monday against rejecting a military aid proposal for Ukraine.

　　Shalanda Young is the director of the United States Office of Management and Budget. She sent an open letter to the leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

　　Young said if the current budget measure is rejected, U.S. military aid to Ukraine would be gone by the end of the year.

　　The aid permits Ukraine to buy weapons for its defense against Russia.

　　Young noted that the U.S. also provides financial aid to the Ukrainian economy, and that money is already gone. She wrote: "If Ukraine's economy collapses, they will not be able to keep fighting...."

　　With less than one month to go in 2023, she added: "We are out of money – and nearly out of time."

　　Biden has asked Congress for more than $100 billion in aid that would go to Ukraine, Israel and others. Some lawmakers oppose the measure unless there are conditions attached. They say the Biden administration must find solutions to the migrant problem at the U.S. southern border.

　　The House of Representatives already approved a military assistance bill for Israel. The Senate has not.

　　The U.S. sent $111 billion to Ukraine in 2023. About $67 billion went to military needs. Another $27 billion went toward economic and civil assistance and $10 billion supported humanitarian aid.

　　Only three percent of the fund remains, Young wrote. She urged lawmakers to approve more money.

　　"This isn't a next year problem. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. It is time for Congress to act," the letter reads.

　　The letter followed a closed meeting on November 29 among U.S. congressional, military and national security officials. The security officials told the lawmakers that Ukraine aid needed to continue. Biden's recent proposal includes $61 billion for Ukraine.

　　Chuck Schumer attended the meeting. He is the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and a Democrat. He said the American military experts "were clear that Ukraine needs the aid soon."

　　I'm Dan Friedell.

　　Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

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　　作者：Dan Friedell

　　2023年12月4日

　　美国总统乔·拜登的政府周一警告议员们不要拒绝对乌克兰的军事援助提案。

　　Shalanda Young是美国管理和预算办公室的主任。她向美国参议院和众议院的领导人发送了一封公开信。

　　Young表示，如果当前的预算措施被拒绝，美国对乌克兰的军事援助将在年底前耗尽。

　　这项援助允许乌克兰购买武器以对抗俄罗斯。

　　Young指出，美国也向乌克兰经济提供财政援助，而这笔钱已经用完了。她写道：“如果乌克兰的经济崩溃，他们将无法继续战斗......”

　　在2023年还剩不到一个月的时间里，她补充道：“我们的钱已经用完了——时间也快用完了。”

　　拜登已经向国会要求超过1000亿美元的援助，这些援助将流向乌克兰、以色列和其他国家。一些议员反对这项措施，除非附带条件。他们说，拜登政府必须找到解决美国南部边境移民问题的办法。

　　众议院已经批准了一项针对以色列的军事援助法案。而参议院还没有。

　　美国在2023年向乌克兰提供了1110亿美元的援助。其中约670亿美元用于军事需求。另外270亿美元用于经济和民事援助，100亿美元用于人道援助。

　　Young写道，只剩下基金的3%。她敦促议员们批准更多的资金。

　　“这不是明年的问题。现在就是帮助乌克兰这个民主国家抵抗俄罗斯侵略的时候。现在是国会采取行动的时候，”信中写道。

　　这封信是在11月29日美国国会、军事和国家安全官员的一次闭门会议之后发出的。安全官员告诉议员们，乌克兰的援助需要继续。拜登最近的提案包括610亿美元用于乌克兰。

　　Chuck Schumer参加了这次会议。他是美国参议院的多数党领袖，也是一名民主党人。他说，美国的军事专家“明确表示乌克兰需要尽快得到援助。”

　　我是Dan Friedell。

　　Dan Friedell根据美联社的报道为学习英语改编了这个故事。