特朗普向國會請求540億美元額外軍費

Donald Trump is calling for the biggest increase in US military spending since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, seeking to add $54bn to the Pentagon’s budget to combat what he views as threats from a “dangerous world”.

唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)呼籲增加美國軍費支出，其增幅將是自伊拉克和阿富汗戰爭白熱化時期以來最大的。他尋求爲五角大樓(Pentagon)的預算增加540億美元，以應對他眼中“危險世界”的威脅。

The White House said on Monday it planned to ask Congress for extra defence funding equivalent to nearly 10 per cent of the military’s annual outlays as the president prepared to unveil a budget focused on “public safety and national security”.

白宮週一表示，特朗普準備公佈一份重點在於“公共安全和國家安全”的預算，計劃請求國會批准相當於年度軍費支出近10%的額外國防經費。

Ahead of Mr Trump’s first speech to Congress on Tuesday, the president sought to put his campaign themes of security and strength back into the centre of the Washington debate following weeks of turmoil centred on his administration’s ties to the Kremlin and bitter sniping with the White House press corps.

在特朗普週二在國會發表首次演講之前，美國總統試圖把他在安全和實力方面的競選主題重新置於華盛頓辯論的核心位置。此前數週經歷了持續的風波，核心問題是特朗普政府與克里姆林宮的關係，以及白宮和白宮記者團之間的激烈論戰。

“This is a landmark event and a message to the world in these dangerous times of American strength, security and resolve,” Mr Trump said.

“這是一個里程碑式的事件，是在當今危險時期向世界傳遞的一個有關美國實力、安全和決心的信息。”

“We must ensure that our courageous servicemen and women have the tools they need to deter war and, when called upon to fight in our name, only do one thing — win,” he added. “We have to win.”

“我們必須確保我軍奮勇的男女官兵擁有他們需要的武器來嚇阻戰爭，並且在被要求以我們的名義投入戰鬥時，只做一件事——那就是取勝，”他補充稱，“我們必須贏。”

If Mr Trump’s request is approved, it would be the biggest increase in defence spending since a 10 per cent jump in 2008 and a 12 per cent increase in 2007, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington-based watchdog group.

據華盛頓監督組織——美國盡責聯邦預算委員會(Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)表示，如果特朗普的要求被批准，那將是自2008年軍費支出增加10%以及2007年增加12%以來，國防支出最大的增幅。

Both budgets were passed during George W Bush’s surge in Iraq, when the president ordered 20,000 additional troops into the country as a burgeoning insurgency threatened to overwhelm the US-led effort.

那兩份預算是在喬治?W?布什(George W Bush)大舉增兵伊拉克時期通過的，當時在甚囂塵上的武裝叛亂可能挫敗以美國爲首的軍事努力的情況下，美國總統命令向伊拉克增派2萬美軍。

A White House official detailed the $54bn spending request, which still must be approved by Congress, on a call with reporters as Mr Trump said his spending would include increases for local law enforcement and the border patrol service that polices the US-Mexico frontier.

白宮一名官員在與記者們的電話會議中詳細解釋了這540億美元的支出請求，特朗普稱其支出包括爲地方執法和維持美墨邊境治安的邊境巡邏方面新增的支出。

The White House said it would pay for the increase by simultaneously seeking to cut non-defence spending by the same amount. Administration officials did not single out which government programmes it would cut, but Mr Trump promised “greater savings and efficiencies across the federal government”.

白宮表示，同時將通過削減等額的非國防支出來爲新增軍費提供資金。特朗普政府官員並未具體列出將削減的政府計劃，但特朗普承諾“在聯邦政府各部門加大節省並提高效率”。

The administration’s figures were, however, only aspirational, and it is likely to face an uphill struggle to secure the funding it wants, even within its own party. Although Republicans have traditionally supported higher defence budgets, a core group of House Republicans budget hawks are likely to balk at such a large increase.

然而，特朗普政府提出的數字只是構想，爲了爭取想要的資金它很可能面臨一場艱苦的鬥爭，甚至是在黨內也將面臨挑戰。儘管共和黨傳統上支持增加國防預算，但衆議院一個共和黨預算鷹派核心團伙很可能不願接受如此大幅的預算增加。

Stan Collender, a budget expert and former congressional official, said the president probably had only a 50:50 chance of success.

曾擔任國會官員的預算專家斯坦?科倫德(Stan Collender)表示，特朗普可能只有50%的勝算。

Mr Collender said there were three ways for the White House to get $54bn: tap a contingency fund that is meant for wars; persuade Congress to lift existing defence spending caps in the face of conservative opposition; or flagrantly violate the caps.

科倫德稱，白宮有3種方式爭取到這540億美元：利用爲戰爭準備的應急資金；在面對保守派反對的情況下說服國會上調現有國防支出上限；或明目張膽地違反上限規定。