This is presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs "Many may believe that we can't afford to do anything,".

VOA: standard.2009.09.04

even if they can't afford to actually come here and, you know, do the whole thing.

即使他们没钱来，没法经历整个过程。

开放式的课程？ - SpeakingMax英语口语达人

"You need to do things that the big companies don't do, because you can't afford to do the things they do, " says Kaplan.

FORBES: Shining Through On The Shelves

"We don't want the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) to be paid when I can't afford to do it, and this money could be more valuable elsewhere, " the blog post said.

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And he set this in the context of an America that can't afford to do as much as in the past.

BBC: Robert Gates on Nato's dim future