The 114th
Congress began meeting1
for the first time2
on Monday as President Barack Obama returned from his vacation3 in Hawaii.
The Republican Party4 now
controls the United States Congress. Voter selected enough5 Republican candidates to give that party majorities6 in the House7 and Senate in
elections last November. Political observers say the next two years will be
difficult for both8
President Obama, a Democrat, and his political opponents.
Mr. Obama
will have to defend his current
policies9 from change10.
Republicans must show that they can work with the president on issues11 that are
important to all Americans and to Republican voters12.
Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told13
CNN Sunday that a government divided between a Republican Congress and a
Democratic president can still work14.
He said voters want the government to make progress on important issues. Republicans
oppose the president on health care15,
immigration and Cuba
However16,
many Republican lawmakers17
want to weaken18
some of the programs approved earlier19
in Mr. Obama’s presidency. They include the Affordable20 Care
Act21, which many call Obamacare. It requires22 most Americans to buy health insurance23.
Many
legislators also want to end the president’s new immigration policy. The policy24 lets many
people who entered the country illegally stay and possibly seek U.S. citizenship25. Republicans are also
critical of the president’s recent decision to open diplomatic relations with
Cuba. For more than 50 years, the United States had sought26 to isolate the communist nation.
Many Republicans do not believe that policy should have changed27. Policy towards28 Ukraine,
Islamic State and Iran also in dispute.
Republican lawmakers29 are often
quick to criticize30
Mr. Obama on his foreign policy31.
Senator Bob Corker will become32
the new chairman33
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He had this to say: “I have no earthly idea34
how the administration plans to go
about35 degrading and destroying IS in Syria.”
Senator John
McCain has also been critical of how Obama has
dealt with36 the conflict in Ukraine. He said: “This
president (Obama) does not understand Vladimir Putin. He does not understand
his ambitions, he does not understand that Vladimir Putin is an old KGB colonel
bent on37
restoration of the Russian Empire.”
International
negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program are to restart38 in a week. Senator Corker and other
Republicans have said lawmakers may
support39 stronger restrictions on Iran if the negotiations fail40.
President
Obama threatens41 vetoes42.To his
critics, President Obama has said he will use his veto power if Congress tries
to change his policies. Other members of Congress have already looked ahead43 to the next election.
Chuck Schumer is a Democratic Senator from New York. He had this to say on
CNN’s State of the Union program:
“If we put together44 a
strong economic message aimed at the
middle class45, not only will it unify46 our party, but we can actually47 do really well48 in
2016.”
I’m Caty
Weaver.
Vocabulary
01. began
meeting = começou a se reunir
02. for the first time = pela primeira
vez
03. vacation = férias
04. Republican Party = partido
republicano
05. Enough = suficiente
06. Majorities = maiorias
07. House
= (House of representatives) = Camara dos Deputados
08. Both = ambos
09. current policies = politicas atuais
10. change = mudança
11. issues = questões
12. voters = eleitores
13. told = disse
14. can still work = ainda pode
funcionar
15. health care = assistencia médica
16. However = contudo
17. Lawmakers = legisladores
18. Weaken = enfraquecer
19. Earlier = anteriormente
20. Affordable = acessivel
21. Care Act = ato de proteção
22. Requires = exige
23. health insurance = seguro de saúde
24. policy = diretriz, politica
25.
seek
U.S. citizenship = buscar cidadania Americana
26.
had
sought = tinha buscado
27.
should
have changed = deveria ter mudado
28.
towards
= em direção a
29.
lawmakers
= legisladores
30.
criticize
= criticar
31.
foreign
policy = politica exterior
32. will
become = vai se tornar-se
33. chairman = president
34. I
have no earthly idea = não tenho a menor idéia
35.
plans
to go about = planeja fazer
36. has
dealt with= tem lidado com
37. bent on = empenhado em
38. restart = reiniciar
39. may support = podem apoiar
40. fail = falhar
41. threatens = ameaça
42. vetoes = vetos
43.
have
already looked ahead = já tem olhado à frente
44.
put
together = juntar, reunir
45.
aimed
at the middle class = direcionada à classe media
46.
unify
= unificar
47.
actually
= realmente
48. do
really well = ir realmente bem