奥巴马演讲一场赚40万美元 美国会或立法削减其退休金

美国前总统奥巴马卸任后开启“捞金”生涯，他以40万美元（约合276万元人民币）的高价接下了一家华尔街投行的演讲邀请。奥巴马的超高“出场费”似乎令外界不满。据外媒报道，美国会共和党议员怒批奥巴马“虚伪”，并准备推动国会立法削减奥巴马的退休金。

Former US President Barack Obama speaks during community event in Chicago reuters

Congress may seek to cut the pension of Barack Obama following his decision to accept a $400,000 fee for an upcoming speech to Wall Street executives.
美国国会可能试图削减奥巴马的退休金。因为他将以40万美元（约合276万元人民币）的出场费给华尔街高管们做演讲。

During his time in the White House, Mr Obama vetoed a bill that would have capped the retirement funds of former presidents should they accept large sums of outside income.
在就职总统期间，奥巴马否决了一项法案，该法案规定，如果前总统赚取高额的外部收入，那么将限制他们的退休金。

Now that Mr Obama himself meets those criteria, Republican sponsors of the bill have said they will revive the legislation and hope that President Donald Trump signs it into law.
现在奥巴马本人就属于这种情况，发起该法案的共和党人称，他们将恢复这则法规，并希望特朗普总统签署生效。

"The Obama hypocrisy on this issue is revealing," Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and sponsor of the 2016 bill told USA Today. "His veto was very self-serving."
众议院监督与政府改革委员会主席杰森•查菲茨2016年发起该法案，他告诉《今日美国》：“在这件事情上，奥巴马的虚伪面目已经暴露出来。他否决法案是极其自私的表现。”

Mr Chaffetz, and Jodi Ernst, a Republican senator from Iowa, who sponsored the companion bill in the Senate, have announced that they will re-introduce the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act this month.
查菲茨和爱荷华州共和党参议员乔迪•恩斯特宣布，他们本月将再次向国会提交《总统津贴现代化法案》。乔迪•恩斯特在参议院发起了配套法案。

The bill would caps presidential pensions at $200,000, plus the same for expenses. But those payments would be reduced dollar-for-dollar once their outside income exceeds $400,000.
《总统津贴现代化法案》将总统的退休金设定为20万美元（约合138万元人民币），另外20万美元为开支费。不过，如果总统退休后赚取的额外收入超过40万美元，就要按超出部分扣减其退休金和开支费。

When it was first introduced last year, Mr Obama vetoed the legislation on the basis that it would force former presidents to fire their support staff.
去年该法案被首次提出时，奥巴马以法案将使前总统被迫解雇其勤杂人员为由予以否决。

Mr Obama said that capping the expenses at this amount would cripple the initiatives of several former presidents, forcing them to lay off staff, and cancel office leases.
奥巴马称，将支出限制在这一金额将削弱几位前总统的主动权，迫使他们裁员，撤销办公室租约。

Currently the General Services Administration must provide "suitable office space, appropriately furnished and equipped".
目前，美国总务管理局必须为前总统提供“有相应装修和设备配套的合适办公空间”。

The total cost of maintaining and staffing those offices currently ranges from $430,000 for former president Jimmy Carter to $1.1 million for former president George W. Bush, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service cited by USA Today.
《今日美国》援引美国国会研究服务局的报告称，前总统卡特的办公室勤杂维护费用总计43万美元（约合296.8万元人民币），而小布什的为110万美元（约合759万元人民币）。

The 2017 spending bill approved by Congress this week contained nearly $3.9 million to fund all the former presidents until the 30th September.
国会本周通过的2017年开支预算法案显示，至9月30日，5位前总统的全部津贴总额接近390万美元。

Mr Trump has not commented on the legislation. But during the campaign, he said he'd take a close look at pensions for elected officials.
特朗普尚未对上述法案发表意见。但在竞选期间，他曾表示将会密切关注民选官员的退休金问题。

Mr Obama and Michelle, his wife, have already signed a publishing deal for two separate books that combined is worth $65 million according to the Financial Times.
据《金融时报》报道，奥巴马和米歇尔已经签下了两本书的出版协议，总价值为6500万美元。

The former president has drawn fierce criticism for accepting the speaking engagement at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald's health care conference in September.
奥巴马因为同意在投资公司康托•菲茨杰拉德9月份的医疗保健会议上演讲而受到激烈批评。

Bernie Sanders, the Democratic senator from Vermont, called the decision "distasteful".
佛蒙特州民主党参议院伯尼•桑德斯称这一决定“令人恶心”。

A spokesman for Mr Obama dismissed the idea that in accepting the fee Mr Obama was compromising his principles.
奥巴马的发言人对奥巴马违背原则收取费用的说法进行了反驳。

"As we announced months ago, President Obama will deliver speeches from time to time," Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to Obama, said in a statement Wednesday.
奥巴马的高级顾问埃里克•舒尔茨在3日发声明称：“正如我们几个月前宣布的那样，奥巴马总统将不时发表演讲。”

"Some of those speeches will be paid, some will be unpaid, and regardless of venue or sponsor, President Obama will be true to his values, his vision, and his record."
“有些演讲是有偿的，有些将是无偿的，无论在哪里，无论赞助商是谁，奥巴马总统都将忠于他的价值观、视野和经历。”

"With regard to this or any speech involving Wall Street sponsors, I'd just point out that in 2008, Barack Obama raised more money from Wall Street than any candidate in history -- and still went on to successfully pass and implement the toughest reforms on Wall Street since Franklin D Roosevelt," he added.
“关于任何华尔街资助的演讲，我只想说，2008年，奥巴马从华尔街拉到了有史以来最高的候选人赞助金，而他还成功对华尔街实施了自美国前总统富兰克林•D•罗瑟夫以来最严厉的改革。”

英文来源：每日电讯报
翻译&编辑：董静
审校：yaning