If Congress cannot agree on a spending authorisation by midnight on Friday then an ominous-sounding US government shutdown will follow. Pensioners worried about receiving their cheques or baddies hoping to rob an unguarded Fort Knox à la Goldfinger should take note that only non-vital functions, such as national park rangers and passport applications, will be affected. The fact that this still encompasses around 1m employees speaks to the size of the federal government.
如果到週五午夜，美國國會還未能就支出授權達成一致，那麼，將會發生一件聽上去不太吉利的事：美國政府將關門大吉。不過，擔心能否收到支票的養老金領取者、以及希望模仿金手指(Goldfinger)搶劫無人守護的諾克斯堡(Fort Knox)的壞蛋們應注意，只有那些不太重要的職能部門——比如國家公園護林員與護照辦理部門——將會受到影響。儘管如此，這仍然會牽涉到大約100萬名僱員，足見聯邦政府的規模之大。
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