A proposed 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal has failed in its first major test in the United States Congress. The Senate voted Tuesday against consideration of Trade Promotion Authority, also known as "fast-track" authority. TPA would protect trade agreements with other countries against U.S. congressional interference. Instead, lawmakers could vote only for or against the agreement.
拟议的环太平洋12国贸易协定未能通过美国国会第一道关卡。美国参议院周二投票拒绝考虑贸易促进权（简称TPA），也就是所谓的快速审批权。贸易促进权能够防止美国同其它国家的贸易协定受到国会干涉。相反，国会议员就此只能投票支持或反对。
The Senate vote was 52 to 45. It fell short of the three-fifths support needed to begin debate on "fast-track" authority. Most Democratic Party members voted to block debate of the bill. They say the bill does not deal with trade enforcement and reported Chinese efforts to influence the value of China's money. They also say it fails to meet the needs of displaced American workers.
参议院投票结果是52票对45票，少于就快速审批权开始辩论所需的3/5的支持率。大部分民主党参议员投票反对就该法案进行辩论。他们表示，该法案未涉及贸易执法以及被报道的中国操作货币问题，也未能满足美国失业工人的要求。
Senator Charles Schumer is a New York Democrat. He says Congress needs to help American citizens at a time of increased international competition.
参议员查尔斯·舒默（Senator Charles）是纽约州民主党议员。他说，国会需要在国际竞争加剧之际帮助美国公民。
"We know the global economy is a rough sea. And Republicans are asking us to pass a trade package that forces the American worker to navigate those waters in a leaky boat. We want to plug up those leaks."
他说，“我们知道全球经济就像是波涛汹涌的大海。共和党人要求我们通过一项贸易方案，而该方案会迫使美国工人乘坐着一艘漏水的小船里来横渡这一水域。我们要堵塞住这些漏洞。”
Republican Mitch McConnell is the Senate's majority leader. He expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the vote. He noted that both Republicans and Democrats supported TPA in a Senate Finance Committee vote last month.
共和党人米奇·麦康奈尔（Mitch McConnell）是参议院多数党领袖。他对投票结果表示不满。他指出，在上月参议院金融委员会的投票中，共和党和民主党都支持贸易促进权。
"There are always limits to what can be accomplished when the American people choose divided government," he said. "But ... it does not mean that" Congress should not work toward solutions that satisfy both parties.
“当美国人民选择分立政府，能够取得的成就就总会有所限制。但这并不意味着国会不应该朝着满足两党的解决方案而努力。”
Republican free-trade supporters hope to hold another vote on the issue. They said concerns of the bill's opponents can be discussed once debate begins again.
支持自由贸易的共和党希望就此问题再次举行投票。他们表示，一旦辩论重新开始，该法案反对者的担忧就能拿出来进行讨论。
Senator Orrin Hatch is a Republican from Utah and supporter of "fast-track" authority.
参议员奥林·哈奇（Orrin Hatch）是一位来自犹他州的共和党人，同时也是快速审批权的支持者。
"We're doing our very best to try and do what the (Obama) administration has wanted in this matter. They are right on it... Ninety-five percent of world trade is outside of our country. I might add that the average wages go up 13 to 18 percent through a trade agreement like this."
他说，“我们已经尽我们所能在此问题上帮助奥巴马政府。他们是对的。全球95%的贸易是在美国之外。我想补充一点，通过这样的贸易协定，美国的平均工资能上浮13%都18%。”
At issue is the ability to finalize a free trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim nations. Those 12 are responsible for 40 percent of the world's economic production. Five of the countries are in Asia. They are Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. The others are Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru and the United States.
现在的问题在于是否有能力最终确定环太平洋12国之间的自由贸易协定。这12个国家占据了全球经济生产的40%。其中五个国家在亚洲，它们分别是文莱，日本，马来西亚，新加坡和越南。其余国家分别是澳大利亚，加拿大，智利，墨西哥，新西兰，秘鲁和美国。
The effect of trade on American jobs makes the issue a difficult one for U.S. lawmakers. The vote on Tuesday was far from the end of debate in Congress. Most free-trade Senate Democrats say they hope to reach an agreement with the Republicans. They hope this will lead to a debate on TPA and the trade agreements it could help shape in the future.
贸易对美国就业的影响使得这一问题让美国议员非常为难。周二的投票远远不是国会争议的结束。大多数支持自由贸易的民主党参议员表示，他们希望同共和党达成协议。他们希望这能引发对贸易促进权和这些贸易协定的辩论，这有助于塑造未来。
I'm Jonathan Evans.
我是乔纳森·埃文斯（Jonathan Evans）。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)