又中又英｜Plethora of lawsuits

US President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Elon Musk as the head of an agency to cut government spending has led to a plethora of lawsuits. Musk, the world’s richest man, was put in charge of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He moved quickly to overhaul the federal government by firing thousands of workers and shutting down or downsizing many departments. Critics and some of those affected by his downsizing filed a plethora of lawsuits. The word “plethora” means a large amount of something, sometimes more than what is needed. A plethora of lawsuits means a lot of lawsuits.

Even those not directly affected by Musk’s actions have filed lawsuits against him and DOGE, including top law officials from more than a dozen US states. They are challenging his access to sensitive government data, such as full details of taxpayers. Critics of Musk say DOGE does not have the power of the purse to cut government spending. The power of the purse refers to the power to control government spending and how the money is spent. The US Constitution makes clear Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, has the power of the purse.

The House of Representatives decides how much money should be spent and the budget for government departments. The Senate can have an input. Both sides must then pass an identical spending bill for the president to sign. The president does not have the power of the purse. Critics of Musk say this means DOGE does not have the power to cut spending already approved by Congress. It should be interesting to see how judges decide on the upcoming court battles!

美国总统唐纳德‧特朗普任命伊隆‧马斯克，成为一个组织的领军，去削减政府开支，这一决定带来了极多的诉讼（plethora of lawsuits）。世界首富马斯克给委托负责非官方的政府效率部（DOGE）。他迅速全面整顿联邦政府，炒掉数以千计的雇员，以及关闭或精简许多的部门。批评者以及一些受他精简而影响的人，提出极多的诉讼（plethora of lawsuits）。 Plethora是指大量的某事物，有时是过多或过剩，超出所需要的；a plethora of lawsuits就是许多的诉讼。

即使那些不是直接受马斯克决定所影响的人，包括超过十二个美国州分的检察官，也入禀法院控告他和DOGE。他们质疑他为何能获取敏感的政府数据，例如纳税人的详细资料。马斯克的批评者则说，DOGE并没有“看守荷包之权”（ the power of the purse）去削减政府开支。The power of the purse是指控制政府开销以及如何花钱的财政大权。美国宪法清楚定明，国会特别是众议院，拥有拨款的财政大权（the power of the purse）。

众议院可以决定如何使用金钱，以及各个政府部门的财政预算。参议院也可以审议。两院必须通过同一法案，提交总统签署。总统并没有看守荷包的财政大权（the power of the purse）。马斯克的批评者说，这意味着DOGE并没有权力去削减已获国会批准的开支。这就得看法官们在将要上演的法庭战上要怎样判决，可精采了！

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻