預算吃緊 英擬刪減社福數十億英鎊

Britain’s center-left government outlined plans to curb rising welfare costs as it attempts to juggle a difficult set of competing objectives: saving public money, incentivizing work and protecting the most vulnerable.

英國中間偏左政府概述了控制福利成本上漲計畫，試圖應付一系列困難且相互扞格的目標：節省公共資金、激勵就業和保護最弱勢的群體。

The announcement follows weeks of tense internal debate within the governing Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, about how to cut Britain’s spending on welfare, which has risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic.

首相施凱爾領導的工黨針對如何刪減新冠疫情以來大幅上漲的英國福利開支，內部激烈辯論數周後，宣布新計畫。

“The status quo is unacceptable but it is not inevitable,” Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, said in Parliament, promising “decisive action” to get those who can work into employment, protect those who cannot, and save 5 billion pounds by 2030.

英國就業與退休金大臣麗茲．肯德爾在國會表示，「現狀是不可接受的，但並非不可避免」，並承諾採取「果斷行動」讓可以工作的人就業，保護無法工作的人，並在2030年之前省下50億英鎊。

For Labour, a party that sees itself as the creator and guardian of the country’s post-World War II welfare state, cutting support for some of the most vulnerable in society is especially contentious.

工黨自認是二戰後英國成為福利國的創造者和守護者。對工黨而言，削減針對社會最弱勢群體的支援，特別有爭議。

But Britain, with a total population of about 68 million, now has more than 9.3 million people of working age across England, Scotland and Wales who are not employed, a rise of 713,000 since 2020. Of those, 2.8 million receive long-term sickness payments or related welfare, according to the government, which expects the number to grow to more than 4 million if nothing is done. The government spent 65 billion pounds on sickness payments last year.

但總人口為6800萬人的英國，目前在英格蘭、蘇格蘭和威爾斯共有超過930萬名適齡工作人口處於失業狀態，這類人口自2020年以來增加71萬3000人。政府指出，其中280萬人領取長期病假津貼或相關福利，若不採取措施，人數將超過400萬。政府去年在疾病津貼上花了650億英鎊。

Under the new plans, people on some programs will be given the “right to try” work without losing their entitlement to welfare, so that if their jobs do not last, they do not have to reapply and wait for financial support to be restored.

在新計畫下，參加某些專案的民眾將被賦予「嘗試工作的權利」，不會失去享有福利的資格。因此如果他們的工作無法持續，也不需要重新申請和等待財務支援恢復。

But eligibility will be tightened for those receiving a Personal Independence Payment, which is designed to support disabled people whether or not they are in work. The government says there are more than 3.6 million claimants and around 1,000 new applications each day.

但領取個人獨立津貼的人資格將被收緊，這個津貼旨在支援身心障礙人士，無論他們是否有工作。政府表示，目前有360萬名申請者，且每天新增約1000份申請。

“That is not sustainable long term, above all for the people who depend on this support,” Kendall said.

肯德爾表示：「從長遠來看，這是無法持續的，尤其是對於仰賴這項支援的人而言。」

The Resolution Foundation, a research institute, said planned curbs on disability support would mean 800,000 to 1.2 million people losing between 4,200 and 6,300 pounds per year by 2030.

研究機構「決議基金會」表示，對失能者補助的刪減，意味80萬至120萬人到2030年時，每年少拿4200至6300英鎊。（註：1英鎊約為新台幣42元）

美國民主黨改弦更張：經濟民粹主義

A number of frustrated House Democrats who said their party had a “weak and undefined brand” announced Tuesday that they were seeking to form a new group to dig out of their crisis, informally referred to as the New Economic Patriots.

一些失望的民主黨議員稱所屬政黨「軟弱且定位不明」，周二宣布他們正尋求成立一個新團體以擺脫危機，將團體非正式地稱呼為「新經濟愛國者」。

The group is the brainchild of Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who criticized members of his own party as wimps in a speech on the House floor Tuesday and called for Democrats to channel a “fighting spirit of economic populism” that he argued could lead them out of the political wilderness.

這個團體是民主黨籍賓州聯邦眾議員克里斯．德魯齊奧的心血結晶。他周二在眾院批評自家政黨成員軟弱，並呼籲民主黨人引進「經濟民粹主義的戰鬥精神」，認為這可以帶領他們脫離在野狀態。

“Too many in our party have lost their way, and it’s time to wake the heck up,” Deluzio said, later declaring: “The era of a spineless Democratic Party must end.”

德魯齊奧表示，「我們黨內太多人已經迷失，是時候清醒了」，他之後宣布，「民主黨怯懦的時代必須得結束」。

The answer, he said, was for the party to focus on appealing to working people on economic issues, but it was not immediately clear how his plan was different from what many in the party have already been advocating. Still, Deluzio’s effort is the latest sign that Democrats, relegated to the minority in Washington and desperate to find a more coherent message after their devastating 2024 losses, are still mired in a politically fraught debate about how to move forward.

他說，答案是讓民主黨關注在經濟議題上吸引勞工階級，但目前尚不清楚他的計畫和黨內其他人已經在提倡的有何不同。儘管如此，德魯齊奧付出的努力是民主黨人經歷2024年慘敗後在華府淪為少數黨，急於找到中心思想的最新跡象，同時仍深陷關於如何前進、充滿政治爭議的辯論。

Deluzio has highlighted his status as a young lawmaker who outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election in a critical district in a key battleground state as he makes the case for why he is the right person to help lead his party out of its funk.

德魯齊奧已經凸顯了自己的地位。他身為一名年輕議員，於2024年選舉中在關鍵戰場州重要選區表現超越了時任副總統賀錦麗，並藉此充分說明自己是協助帶領所屬政黨走出低谷的正確人選。

In an interview, Deluzio said the “progressive” and “moderate” labels did not work anymore given that his entire tattered party needed to be restructured around an economic populist message that he said had been co-opted by the right.

在一次訪談中，德魯齊奧表示，「進步」和「溫和」的標籤已不再有效，整個破爛不堪的政黨需要環繞經濟民粹主義的中心思想進行重組，並表示這個思想已被右派挪用。

“I am not interested in a wimpy Democratic Party,” Deluzio said. “The party for years has put too much stock in avoiding fights, avoiding naming big corporate villains.” It is time for Democrats to turn back to their working-class roots, he said.

德魯齊奧表示，「我對一個懦弱的民主黨不感興趣。這個政黨多年來過於強調以和為貴，避免點名哪些大企業為非作歹」，並說民主黨人現在是時候回歸勞工階級的根基了。

The new group includes a disparate group of Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, a former chair of the Progressive Caucus, and Rep. Pat Ryan, a moderate New York Democrat from a swing district. The group members who spoke on the House floor notably did not yet include any Democrats who won Trump districts in 2024.

這個新團體涵蓋了民主黨的各路人馬，包括民主黨前國會進步派黨團主席、華盛頓州聯邦眾議員普拉蜜拉．賈亞帕，以及來自搖擺選區的溫和派紐約民主黨聯邦眾議員派特．萊恩。值得注意的一點是，在眾院發言的團體成員並不包括2024年在川普獲勝選區出線的民主黨人。