美國議員將就財政懸崖問題做最後一刻談判

U.S. lawmakers reconvene Monday for last-minute talks to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" of sharp tax increases and spending cuts that would take effect January 1.

Any agreement would likely first pass through the Senate, which goes into session just before midday, after extensive talks Sunday yielded little progress.

Vice President Joe Biden held negotiations with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as Democrats and Republicans tried to resolve their differences over tax rates for the rich and federal spending cuts.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Sunday the divide was "significant," while McConnell said the sticking point appeared to be "a willingness, an interest or courage" among lawmakers to arrive at an agreement.

If the Democrat-controlled Senate votes for a compromise deal, the Republican-led House would have to approve the measure. The president could then sign it late Monday, avoiding having automatic tax increases on nearly all Americans kick in Tuesday.美國國會議員們星期一將繼續開會，就避免財政懸崖進行最後一刻的談判。所謂“財政懸崖”，就是從明年1月1號開始生效的大幅增稅和削減開支。

任何協議都很可能首先在參議院獲得通過。參議院在中午前開始舉行會議，此前於星期天進行了廣泛的討論，但幾乎沒有取得任何進展。

美國副總統拜登與參議院少數黨領袖麥康奈爾進行了談判，與此同時，民主黨人和共和黨人試圖解決彼此之間圍繞富人增稅以及削減聯邦政府開支問題的分歧。

參議院多數黨領袖裏德星期天說，雙方存在重大分歧，而麥康奈爾則表示，主要問題在於議員們是否具有達成協議的意願、興趣和勇氣。

如果民主黨控制的參議院表決通過一項妥協方案，該方案還需要在共和黨控制的衆議院獲得通過。隨後，奧巴馬總統就可以在星期一晚間簽署，以避免星期二自動開始對幾乎所有美國人增稅。