A political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government Lyrics

Song	A political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government
Artist	英语听力
Album	VOA慢速英语：时事报道
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[00:00.10]	From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.
[00:08.00]	This week, a political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government for the first time in almost 20 years.
[00:19.78]	Agencies sent home more than 800,000 workers --
[00:24.02]	about one-third of the federal work force.
[00:27.34]	The new budget year began Tuesday, October 1.
[00:31.90]	But Republicans in Congress blocked even short-term spending for many government operations.
[00:39.05]	They demanded that Democrats change the Affordable Care Act, the new health care law often called Obamacare.
[00:46.86]	The Democrats refused.
[00:48.65]	The shutdown did not stop Tuesday's launch of online marketplaces, called exchanges, at the center of the law.
[00:57.23]	The federal government and states started websites for millions of uninsured Americans to buy health plans or pay a tax penalty.
[01:07.00]	Opponents of Obamacare say it will force people and small businesses to buy insurance policies against their will.
[01:16.20]	At the heart of the dispute is a clash between the two major political parties over the role of the central government in American life.
[01:25.83]	The political fighting between Democrats and Republicans began to intensify during the 1990s.
[01:33.75]	That followed the election of Democrat Bill Clinton as president.
[01:37.32]	Differences over spending and the role of government led to two government shutdowns.
[01:44.85]	The disputed presidential election of 2000 brought Republican George W. Bush to office.
[01:51.70]	University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato says the political battles only deepened during his second term.
[02:00.42]	"There is no question that the polarization increased first with the Bush presidency,
[02:05.64]	because of the Iraq war and his handling of Hurricane Katrina.
[02:10.08]	Then it accelerated once President Obama was elected."
[02:15.56]	The divide grew wider when President Barack Obama pushed his health care reform law through Congress in 2010 without a single Republican vote.
[02:26.15]	That in turn helped to fuel the rise of Tea Party groups around the country.
[02:32.06]	The Tea Party is a conservative voting group within the Republican Party.
[02:38.18]	Republicans have made several attempts to either defund the Affordable Care Act or delay it.
[02:43.86]	The law is one of the most important acts of Barack Obama's presidency.
[02:49.70]	Peter Brown of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut studies public opinion.
[02:55.44]	"Republicans like smaller government and lower government spending and therefore are more opposed to Obamacare.
[03:02.89]	Democrats tend to be more supportive in general of government solutions to problems,
[03:07.34]	and they see Obamacare as the right thing to do to help on the health care issue."
[03:11.71]	Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives; Democrats hold the Senate and the White House.
[03:18.88]	A group of conservative Republicans in the House have been leading the opposition to the health care law.
[03:26.03]	Many of them now depend on strong support from Tea Party activists to get elected.
[03:32.34]	Larry Sabato says many of them are willing, at least for now, to accept the political blame for forcing the government to shut down.
[03:41.52]"They will pay a bigger price, but they seem willing to pay it in part because most of their members are in completely safe [congressional]	districts.
[03:51.42]	The only thing they have to worry about is a challenge from the right in the Republican primary.
[03:57.59]	So they do not want to let anybody get to their right."
[03:59.41]	For the moment, Larry Sabato sees no quick end to the shutdown.
[04:03.88]	Political observer Charlie Cook says some of the Republican opposition is also driven by deep feelings against President Obama.
[04:13.82]	"There are a lot of Republicans where if President Obama said ‘up,' they would say ‘down.'
[04:18.24]	The last politically driven government shutdown began in December of 1995.
[04:24.12]	It lasted three weeks.
[04:26.12]	And right now there is another issue.
[04:29.43]	Congress will soon have to raise the borrowing limit or risk the United States not being able to make all of its loan payments.
[04:38.29]	Congress must renew the government's power to borrow money by October 17 or risk a first-ever federal default.
[04:47.82]	And that's In the News from VOA Learning English.
[04:52.04]	I'm Avi Arditti.

[00:00.10]	From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.
[00:08.00]	This week, a political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government for the first time in almost 20 years.
[00:19.78]	Agencies sent home more than 800, 000 workers
[00:24.02]	about onethird of the federal work force.
[00:27.34]	The new budget year began Tuesday, October 1.
[00:31.90]	But Republicans in Congress blocked even shortterm spending for many government operations.
[00:39.05]	They demanded that Democrats change the Affordable Care Act, the new health care law often called Obamacare.
[00:46.86]	The Democrats refused.
[00:48.65]	The shutdown did not stop Tuesday' s launch of online marketplaces, called exchanges, at the center of the law.
[00:57.23]	The federal government and states started websites for millions of uninsured Americans to buy health plans or pay a tax penalty.
[01:07.00]	Opponents of Obamacare say it will force people and small businesses to buy insurance policies against their will.
[01:16.20]	At the heart of the dispute is a clash between the two major political parties over the role of the central government in American life.
[01:25.83]	The political fighting between Democrats and Republicans began to intensify during the 1990s.
[01:33.75]	That followed the election of Democrat Bill Clinton as president.
[01:37.32]	Differences over spending and the role of government led to two government shutdowns.
[01:44.85]	The disputed presidential election of 2000 brought Republican George W. Bush to office.
[01:51.70]	University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato says the political battles only deepened during his second term.
[02:00.42]	" There is no question that the polarization increased first with the Bush presidency,
[02:05.64]	because of the Iraq war and his handling of Hurricane Katrina.
[02:10.08]	Then it accelerated once President Obama was elected."
[02:15.56]	The divide grew wider when President Barack Obama pushed his health care reform law through Congress in 2010 without a single Republican vote.
[02:26.15]	That in turn helped to fuel the rise of Tea Party groups around the country.
[02:32.06]	The Tea Party is a conservative voting group within the Republican Party.
[02:38.18]	Republicans have made several attempts to either defund the Affordable Care Act or delay it.
[02:43.86]	The law is one of the most important acts of Barack Obama' s presidency.
[02:49.70]	Peter Brown of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut studies public opinion.
[02:55.44]	" Republicans like smaller government and lower government spending and therefore are more opposed to Obamacare.
[03:02.89]	Democrats tend to be more supportive in general of government solutions to problems,
[03:07.34]	and they see Obamacare as the right thing to do to help on the health care issue."
[03:11.71]	Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives Democrats hold the Senate and the White House.
[03:18.88]	A group of conservative Republicans in the House have been leading the opposition to the health care law.
[03:26.03]	Many of them now depend on strong support from Tea Party activists to get elected.
[03:32.34]	Larry Sabato says many of them are willing, at least for now, to accept the political blame for forcing the government to shut down.
[03:41.52]"They will pay a bigger price, but they seem willing to pay it in part because most of their members are in completely safe [congressional]	districts.
[03:51.42]	The only thing they have to worry about is a challenge from the right in the Republican primary.
[03:57.59]	So they do not want to let anybody get to their right."
[03:59.41]	For the moment, Larry Sabato sees no quick end to the shutdown.
[04:03.88]	Political observer Charlie Cook says some of the Republican opposition is also driven by deep feelings against President Obama.
[04:13.82]	" There are a lot of Republicans where if President Obama said ' up,' they would say ' down.'
[04:18.24]	The last politically driven government shutdown began in December of 1995.
[04:24.12]	It lasted three weeks.
[04:26.12]	And right now there is another issue.
[04:29.43]	Congress will soon have to raise the borrowing limit or risk the United States not being able to make all of its loan payments.
[04:38.29]	Congress must renew the government' s power to borrow money by October 17 or risk a firstever federal default.
[04:47.82]	And that' s In the News from VOA Learning English.
[04:52.04]	I' m Avi Arditti.

[00:00.10]	From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.
[00:08.00]	This week, a political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government for the first time in almost 20 years.
[00:19.78]	Agencies sent home more than 800, 000 workers
[00:24.02]	about onethird of the federal work force.
[00:27.34]	The new budget year began Tuesday, October 1.
[00:31.90]	But Republicans in Congress blocked even shortterm spending for many government operations.
[00:39.05]	They demanded that Democrats change the Affordable Care Act, the new health care law often called Obamacare.
[00:46.86]	The Democrats refused.
[00:48.65]	The shutdown did not stop Tuesday' s launch of online marketplaces, called exchanges, at the center of the law.
[00:57.23]	The federal government and states started websites for millions of uninsured Americans to buy health plans or pay a tax penalty.
[01:07.00]	Opponents of Obamacare say it will force people and small businesses to buy insurance policies against their will.
[01:16.20]	At the heart of the dispute is a clash between the two major political parties over the role of the central government in American life.
[01:25.83]	The political fighting between Democrats and Republicans began to intensify during the 1990s.
[01:33.75]	That followed the election of Democrat Bill Clinton as president.
[01:37.32]	Differences over spending and the role of government led to two government shutdowns.
[01:44.85]	The disputed presidential election of 2000 brought Republican George W. Bush to office.
[01:51.70]	University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato says the political battles only deepened during his second term.
[02:00.42]	" There is no question that the polarization increased first with the Bush presidency,
[02:05.64]	because of the Iraq war and his handling of Hurricane Katrina.
[02:10.08]	Then it accelerated once President Obama was elected."
[02:15.56]	The divide grew wider when President Barack Obama pushed his health care reform law through Congress in 2010 without a single Republican vote.
[02:26.15]	That in turn helped to fuel the rise of Tea Party groups around the country.
[02:32.06]	The Tea Party is a conservative voting group within the Republican Party.
[02:38.18]	Republicans have made several attempts to either defund the Affordable Care Act or delay it.
[02:43.86]	The law is one of the most important acts of Barack Obama' s presidency.
[02:49.70]	Peter Brown of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut studies public opinion.
[02:55.44]	" Republicans like smaller government and lower government spending and therefore are more opposed to Obamacare.
[03:02.89]	Democrats tend to be more supportive in general of government solutions to problems,
[03:07.34]	and they see Obamacare as the right thing to do to help on the health care issue."
[03:11.71]	Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives Democrats hold the Senate and the White House.
[03:18.88]	A group of conservative Republicans in the House have been leading the opposition to the health care law.
[03:26.03]	Many of them now depend on strong support from Tea Party activists to get elected.
[03:32.34]	Larry Sabato says many of them are willing, at least for now, to accept the political blame for forcing the government to shut down.
[03:41.52]"They will pay a bigger price, but they seem willing to pay it in part because most of their members are in completely safe [congressional]	districts.
[03:51.42]	The only thing they have to worry about is a challenge from the right in the Republican primary.
[03:57.59]	So they do not want to let anybody get to their right."
[03:59.41]	For the moment, Larry Sabato sees no quick end to the shutdown.
[04:03.88]	Political observer Charlie Cook says some of the Republican opposition is also driven by deep feelings against President Obama.
[04:13.82]	" There are a lot of Republicans where if President Obama said ' up,' they would say ' down.'
[04:18.24]	The last politically driven government shutdown began in December of 1995.
[04:24.12]	It lasted three weeks.
[04:26.12]	And right now there is another issue.
[04:29.43]	Congress will soon have to raise the borrowing limit or risk the United States not being able to make all of its loan payments.
[04:38.29]	Congress must renew the government' s power to borrow money by October 17 or risk a firstever federal default.
[04:47.82]	And that' s In the News from VOA Learning English.
[04:52.04]	I' m Avi Arditti.

A political dispute in Washington led to a partial shutdown of the United States government Lyrics

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