米国歳出削減 大統領と議会は混乱収拾急げ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Mar. 6, 2013)
Obama, Congress must unsnarl chaos over budget
米国歳出削減　大統領と議会は混乱収拾急げ（3月5日付・読売社説）

The automatic spending cuts aimed at slashing U.S. federal spending have been implemented. President Barack Obama and Republican and Democratic lawmakers must find points of compromise and unsnarl the confusion soon.
　米国政府の歳出を強制的に削減する制度が発動された。オバマ米大統領と民主、共和両党は妥協点を探り、混乱の早期収拾を図るべきである。

The spending cuts amount to 1.2 trillion dollars (about 110 trillion yen) over a 10-year period, with 85 billion dollars, or about 10 percent of government spending for fiscal 2013 (which started on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30), to be cut.
　歳出削減額は１０年間で１・２兆ドル（約１１０兆円）に上り、２０１３会計年度（１２年１０月～１３年９月）では、歳出の約１割に相当する８５０億ドルがカットされる。

The automatic budget cuts were mandated in legislation passed in the summer of 2011 when Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a fiscal reconstruction plan. Without an agreement on a middle- or long-term fiscal deficit-cutting deal, the budget cuts were to be invoked in January.
　強制削減制度は、財政再建を巡る１１年夏の与野党攻防の際に設けられた。中長期的な財政赤字削減策をまとめられない場合、今年１月に発動する予定だった。

To avert the so-called fiscal cliff of automatic spending cuts and middle-class tax increases, at least as a temporary fix, the deadline for implementing the budget cuts was put off by two months.
But negotiations between Obama and both parties collapsed, leading to the automatic budget cuts. This is an extremely serious situation.
　「財政の崖」をひとまず回避するため、発動期限は２か月先送りされたが、それでも大統領と与野党の協議が決裂し、発動を防げなかったのは深刻な事態だ。

While Obama and the Democrats have been calling for cutting the federal deficit by additional tax increases on the rich and spending cuts, Republicans adamantly oppose the tax increases.
　大統領と与党・民主党は、富裕層への追加増税と歳出カットによる赤字削減を主張しているのに対し、共和党はあくまで、増税に反対する強硬姿勢を崩さない。

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Deep-rooted confrontation

This resulted in a deep-rooted confrontation that started even before last year's presidential election.
　昨年の大統領選挙前からの根深い対立を浮き彫りにしている。

The automatic spending cuts will not immediately damage the U.S. economy or affect the people's lives, but if they are kept in place for a protracted period of time, ill effects will be felt both at home and abroad. The situation must be watched.
　歳出の強制削減によって、ただちに米国経済や国民生活に不都合が生じるものではないが、発動が長期化すれば、影響は内外に広がる。要警戒である。

For instance, with the cuts in spending on national defense, about 800,000 civilian personnel of the U.S. Defense Department face furloughs, which could hinder U.S. security operations in the western Pacific and Japan.
　例えば、国防費削減で米軍の職員約８０万人が一時帰休を強いられて、西太平洋や日本などの安全保障に支障が生じかねない。

With the cuts in air traffic controllers, some airport control towers might be closed. A large number of teachers may also be fired. With the budget cuts, these scenarios will come closer to reality.
　航空管制官の削減で管制塔が閉鎖したり、教員が大量解雇されたりする事態も現実味を帯びる。

In the long term, the cuts are likely to slow down the U.S. economy, which has at last shown signs of recovery, and also damage the world economy.
　ようやく景気回復の傾向が出てきた米国経済の足を引っ張り、世界経済にも打撃を与えそうだ。

While the main budget for the current fiscal year has yet to be passed into law, the provisional six-month budget will expire on March 27.
　今年度予算はまだ成立せず、暫定予算の失効が２７日に迫っている。

Unless the main budget or a new provisional budget is decided on, further disarray will follow and may even cause a government shutdown.
それまでに本予算も新たな暫定予算も決まらないと、政府窓口の一部閉鎖という、さらなる混乱に拡大するだろう。

The focal issue at least for the time being is whether the confrontation between Obama and congressional Republicans will end before such adverse effects spread.
　当面の焦点は、そうした悪影響が広がる前に、対立に終止符を打てるかどうかである。

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Radical solution required

The responsibilities of the president and the Congress are grave. It is important for them to compromise soon and produce a radical solution to realize both fiscal reconstruction and economic growth, instead of continuing an unproductive exchange of denunciations.
　大統領と議会の責任は重大だ。不毛な非難合戦を続けるのではなく、財政再建と経済成長を両立させる抜本策について、速やかに歩み寄ることが肝要だ。

There are many pending problems over fiscal management. Unless the limit on federal borrowing is raised by the middle of May, the U.S. government may even default on its obligations.
　財政を巡る懸案は多い。５月半ばまでに連邦債務上限を引き上げられない場合、債務不履行（デフォルト）に陥る恐れすらある。

The president and Democratic and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly put off solving problems every time their negotiations have deadlocked. But makeshift measures will not lead to a fundamental solution.
　大統領と与野党はこれまで、協議が行き詰まるごとに、問題先送りを繰り返してきた。だが、その場しのぎの策では、根本的な解決にならない。

The big question is whether the United States can rid itself of "politics characterized by indecision."
　「決められない政治」から脱することが厳しく問われよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 5, 2013)
（2013年3月5日01時29分  読売新聞）