Section outline

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  • 联邦政府支出

    Federal Government Expenditures
    ::联邦政府支出

    The President, as the head of the Executive Branch of the federal government, determines the direction of fiscal policy. With the help of economic advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congressional support, the President outlines where and how spending should occur. The President's office creates a federal budget or an annual plan for proposed revenues (taxes) and expenditures (spending) for the next year. After the budget is developed it is sent to the Congress. The Congress does have the power to determine whether or not to follow the President's suggested annual budget.
    ::总统作为联邦政府行政部门的首长,决定财政政策的方向,在经济顾问、管理和预算办公室以及国会的支持下,总统概述开支的发生地点和方式,总统办公室为下一年制定联邦预算或年度收入(税收)和支出(支出)计划,预算制定后,将送交国会,国会有权决定是否遵循总统建议的年度预算。

    Universal Generalizations
    ::普遍化

    • The federal government must approve spending before revenues can be released.
      ::联邦政府必须批准支出,然后才能释放收入。
    • The federal government’s budget supplies money for many services and programs.
      ::联邦政府预算为许多服务和计划提供资金。
    • The taxes collected by the federal government are used to pay for various federal services and programs.
      ::联邦政府征收的税款用于支付各种联邦服务和方案的费用。
    • State and local governments benefit from federal expenditures.
      ::州和地方政府从联邦支出中受益。

    Guiding Questions
    ::问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问

    1. How would the U.S. economy be impacted if the federal government did not pay for various services and programs that benefit both the states and the local governments?
      ::如果联邦政府不支付各种服务和方案的费用,使州和地方政府都受益,美国经济将如何受到影响?
    2. Could state and local governments get along without revenues from the federal government?
      ::州和地方政府能否在没有联邦政府收入的情况下和睦相处?
    3. What does the federal government have to do to if does not collect enough revenues to cover its expenditures?
      ::如果联邦政府没有筹集足够的收入来支付支出,联邦政府又应如何处理呢?
    4. What is the purpose of a balanced budget amendment?
      ::平衡预算修正的目的何在?
    5. Name three aspects of federal spending that you benefit from directly.
      ::列出直接受益的联邦开支的三个方面。

    The Federal Budget
    ::联邦预算

    The largest portion of the annual budget is mad e up of mandatory spending , or spending that is authorized by law and continues without the need of further approval by Congress. Examples of mandatory spending would be Social Security, Medicare, and interest on the U.S. debt. The other portion of the budget is discretionary spending , or spending money that needs annual authorization. This type of spending is what is most often argued over by members of the legislative branch. Some members may believe that there should be more spending for a particular program, while other members of Congress may believe that spending should be cut to help provide spending for other programs. Each year discretionary spending can be increased, kept the same, or cut based on projected needs of the programs or specific departments and agencies. Examples of areas of discretionary spending are military bases, the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, welfare, or assistance to farmers.
    ::年度预算的最大部分由强制性开支构成,或由法律授权、无需国会进一步批准而继续的开支构成; 强制性开支的例子有社会保障、医疗保险和美国债务利息; 预算的另一部分是自由支配开支,或需要年度授权的资金; 这种开支是立法部门成员最常争论的。 一些成员可能认为,应该为某个特定方案增加开支,而国会其他成员可能认为应该削减开支,以帮助为其他方案提供开支; 自由裁量开支每年可以增加、维持不变,或者根据方案或具体部门和机构的预计需求削减; 自由裁量开支的领域包括军事基地、美国海岸警卫队、海关和边境保护、福利或对农民的援助。

    Video: 2017 Budget Proposals vs. Americans' Priorities
    ::视频:2017年预算提案与美国人的优先事项

    Every year the President of the United States establishes a general budget for multiple years beginning with the first year that he takes office. The president consults with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), his Council of Economic Advisors, the heads of all Cabinet Departments, various agencies and others to determine how and where money should be budgeted for the next fiscal year. The federal budget is prepared for a "fiscal year" which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 the following year. The budget must take into account whether or not there is a projected "surplus" (which can occur if there are more taxes collected than will be spent on programs) or if there is to be a "deficit" (which means that there will be more money spent on programs during the year than collected in taxes).
    ::美国总统每年确定多年总预算,从上任第一年开始,总统与管理和预算办公室(OMB)、其经济顾问委员会、所有内阁部、各机构和其他方面的首长协商,以确定下一个财政年度应如何和在何处为资金编制预算。 联邦预算是为10月1日开始、次年9月30日结束的“财政年”编制的。 预算必须考虑到是否有预测的“盈余”(如果所收税收超过方案支出)或是否有“赤字”(这意味着当年用于方案的资金将多于税收)。

    Once the President has outlined his budget, by law it must be presented to the Congress. The Congress actually "holds the purse strings" and can follow the president's budget or make any changes it sees fit. The House of Representatives examines the discretionary spending by setting targets for how much to spend or cut based on the previous year's spending. Once targets are agreed on, various House of Representatives committees meet to determine "appropriations" or how much money federal agencies will need for specific purposes. The House holds committee hearings, debates spending, and asks experts for their opinions on why funding for programs should be increased or decreased in the next year. Once all of the committees have figured out the funding for their specific portions of the budget, the House of Representatives reconvenes to vote on the complete budget. From the House of Representatives, the proposed budget is sent to the Senate. The Senate may approve the bill sent over by the House of Representatives, or it may draft its own version of the budget. If there are any differences in the two versions of the budget, the House of Representatives and the Senate create a conference committee to work out a compromise bill.  
    ::一旦总统根据法律概述了预算,就必须根据法律向国会提交预算。国会实际上“掌握着钱包链”,可以跟踪总统的预算,或者做出它认为合适的任何修改。众议院审查自由裁量开支,根据上一年的支出确定支出或削减的目标;一旦商定目标,众议院各委员会开会确定“拨款”或联邦机构的具体用途需要多少资金。众议院举行委员会听证会、辩论开支,请专家就下一年增加或减少方案资金的原因发表意见。一旦所有委员会都确定了预算的具体部分的资金,众议院将重新开会,就整个预算进行表决。从众议院向参议院提交拟议预算,参议院可以批准众议院提出的议案,或起草自己的预算版本。如果两个预算版本存在分歧,众议院和参议院将设立一个会议委员会,以制定妥协法案。

    After both the House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed on a budget, it is sent back to the President. The President may not even recognize the bill that he originally sent to the Congress since they have the power to actually create the budget as they see fit. If the budget is too different from the one he sent, he can veto it and send it back to Congress to consider making revisions to the budget. If Congress refuses, they can pass the budget without the President's signature if 2/3 of both houses of Congress agree; however that is usually very difficult to accomplish. Generally, the budgets from one year to the next are very similar with only minor changes.  Once signed by the President, the budget becomes law.
    ::在众议院和参议院就预算达成一致后,将预算退回总统,总统甚至可能不承认他最初向国会提交的法案,因为他们有权按自己认为合适的方式实际编制预算;如果预算与他所派的预算太不同,他可以否决预算,然后将预算送回国会,考虑修订预算;如果国会拒绝,他们可以不经总统签署即通过预算,如果议会两院有三分之二的议员同意,但通常很难完成。一般而言,每年的预算非常相似,只有小的改动。一旦总统签字,预算就会成为法律。

    To view a copy of the Executive Branch's 2018 Budget visit .
    ::查阅行政部门2018年预算访问的副本。

    If the budget is not correctly anticipated, or if the Congress and the President cannot reach an agreement on the budget, the federal government can run out of money. This would mean that the government would have to furlough federal employees without pay or close non-essential departments. In both 1995, and 1995–96, the United States federal government had to shut down due to budget conflicts between President Clinton and the Congress over annual funding for various programs such as public health, education, Medicare, and the environment. The president disagreed with the spending cuts, he vetoed the annual bill, and the government shut down. Federal workers were told not to report for work, or furloughed, and several non-essential departments and agencies were closed from November 14 -19, 1995, and from December 16, 1995, -January 6, 1996, for a total of 27 days.
    ::如果预算预测不正确,或者如果国会和总统无法达成预算协议,联邦政府就会耗尽资金。 这意味着政府不得不不付工资地解雇联邦雇员或者关闭非必要部门。 在1995年和1995-96年,由于克林顿总统和国会在公共卫生、教育、医疗和环境等各种方案的年度融资问题上的预算冲突,美国联邦政府不得不关闭。 总统不同意削减开支,否决了年度法案,关闭了政府。 联邦工人被告知不要上班,或者不上班,一些非必要部门和机构从1995年11月14日至19日以及1995年12月16日至1996年1月6日总共关闭了27天。

    The government “shut down” not only impacted federal employees but also impacted other areas such as:  services for military veterans, the Centers for Disease Control, toxic waste cleanup stopped, all of the 368 National Parks  were closed, and no applications for passports or visas were processed.
    ::政府“镇压”不仅影响到联邦雇员,还影响到其他领域,例如:退伍军人服务、疾病控制中心、有毒废物清理停止、368个国家公园全部关闭、护照或签证申请得不到处理。

    You may ask yourself how many times has this occurred? The answer is 17 times since 1976. To read more about government shutdowns, or "spending gaps"  visit this article by The Washington Post called .
    ::答案是1976年以来的17次。阅读更多关于政府关闭的报导, 或《华盛顿邮报》访问这篇文章时的“缺口”。

    lesson content 

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     Source: 

    To read more about the 2017 Federal Spending by the Federal Government, visit .
    ::更多关于联邦政府2017年联邦支出的更多信息,

    The largest portion of mandatory spending over the last several decades has been in Social Security, followed by Medicare and health care. Clearly as the U.S. population ages and lives longer, more and more spending will be directed toward t hese two areas. The largest portion of discretionary spending since the end of World War II has been directed at the military and will remain at this level while the U.S. engages in the Global War on Terrorism.
    ::在过去几十年中,强制支出的最大部分是社会保障,其次是医疗保健和医疗保健。 显然,随着美国人口老化和寿命的延长,越来越多的支出将被用于这两个领域。 自第二次世界大战结束以来,最大的自由裁量支出是针对军队的,并将保持这一水平,而美国则参与全球反恐战争。

    Visit the following link to read an article about the history of taxing and spending in the U.S.: .

    ::访问以下链接,阅读一篇关于美国征税和消费历史的文章:

    Answer the self check questions below to monitor your understanding of the concepts in this section.
    ::回答下面的自我核对问题,以监测你对本节概念的理解。


    Self Check Questions
    ::自查问题

    1. What is a federal budget? What are two main categories of the federal budget?
    ::1. 什么是联邦预算?联邦预算的两大类是什么?联邦预算的两大类是什么?

    2. What is mandatory spending? Give 3 examples.
    ::2. 什么是强制性支出?请举三个例子。

    3. What is discretionary spending? Give 3 examples.
    ::3. 什么是自由裁量开支?请举三个例子。

    4. Go online and look up the budget for the next fiscal year. What categories have the highest amount of spending? Why?
    ::4. 上网查询下一财政年度的预算,哪些类别的支出最高? 为什么?

    5. Define federal budget surplus and federal budget deficit.
    ::5. 确定联邦预算盈余和联邦预算赤字。

    6. Go online and determine if the next fiscal year is projected to have a surplus or a deficit. How much will it be? Why are they projecting this situation?
    ::6. 上网确定下一个财政年度预计会出现盈余还是赤字,需要多少?他们为什么要预测这种情况?

    7. Which part of the federal government begins the budget process?
    ::7. 联邦政府的哪个部分开始预算程序?

    8. What is an appropriations bill?
    ::8. 什么是拨款法案?