意見分裂的美國國會將再次嘗試合作
Despite numerous areas of potential conflict, a politically divided and ideologically polarized U.S. Congress may find limited areas of cooperation between the two chambers and President Donald Trump beginning in January, according to political observers.
Trump and the top House Democrat, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, already have signaled a desire to find common ground.
“Hopefully, we can all work together next year to continue delivering for the American people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” the president said at a news conference on Wednesday. “These are some of things that the Democrats do want to work on, and I really believe we'll be able to do that.”
“We will strive for bipartisanship,” Pelosi told reporters one day after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections. “We believe that we have a responsibility to seek common ground where we can. Where we cannot, we must stand our ground. But we must try.”
At the same time, friction quickly surfaced over what Democrats see as their duty to provide oversight of the executive branch and what the White House sees as looming politically-motivated abuse of the investigative authority that House Democrats will wield when the new Congress is sworn in.
For now, however, key lawmakers are stressing a get-to-work attitude that presumes at least a modicum of comity and bipartisanship.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, pointed to health care during a Wednesday news conference.
“There are serious problems with Obamacare, serious problems that need to get fixed,” McConnell said. “Rhetoric doesn't solve the problem, and I think we're obviously going to have to address that now on a bipartisan basis.”
Moments later, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters Senate Democrats can expand their ranks “by focusing on middle-class issues that affect average voters, such as healthcare, drug prices, things like that.”根據政治觀察人士的說法，儘管美國國會由於政治分歧和意識形態兩極分化而存在許多潛在的衝突，明年一月份以後參衆兩院和特朗普總統之間仍可能找到有限的合作領域。
華盛頓的兩黨政策中心政治分析人士John Fortier表示，“分裂的政府在美國政治中司空見慣，我們的政府更多時候是處在分裂而不是團結的狀態。”他說，“這意味着，首先，總統的議事日程不再是立法的議事日程，有些事可以完成，但將需要民主共和兩黨的合作，這很困難，但不是不可能。”
特朗普總統和衆議院多數黨領導人佩洛西都已表示出尋找共同點的意願。
特朗普總統週三在新聞發佈會上說，“希望明年我們能夠共同努力，繼續爲美國人民服務，包括在經濟增長、基礎設施、貿易，降低處方藥價等方面。”特朗普表示，“這些也是民主黨人想要做的事情，我確實相信我們能做到這一點。”
“我們將努力實現兩黨合作，”佩洛西在民主黨週二在中期選舉中贏得衆議院控制權的第二天告訴記者說， “我們相信，我們有責任儘可能地尋求共同點。在我們不能達成一致的地方，我們必須堅持自己的立場。但我們必須嘗試。“
與此同時，雙方的摩擦也很快顯現，民主黨認爲他們有責任對行政部門進行監督，而白宮則認爲在新一屆國會宣誓就職後，民主黨會出於政治動機濫用調查權。
不過就目前而言，國會中的關鍵人物正在強調要開始工作，這種態度至少帶來兩黨假定可以合作的氛圍。
參議院多數黨領袖、肯塔基州共和黨參議員麥康納爾在週三的新聞發佈會上指出了醫療保健問題。
他說，“奧巴馬醫改存在嚴重問題，需要解決，”麥康納爾說， “言論不能解決問題，我認爲我們顯然必須在兩黨的基礎上解決這個問題。”
稍後參議院少數黨領袖、來自紐約州的舒默告訴記者，參議院民主黨人可以“專注於會影響到普通選民的中產階級的問題，例如醫療保健、藥品價格等等。”
