11.   DeLay caused a stir when he said Republicans would hold back on tax reductions until they get a balanced-budget agreement.

12.   Delay causes several problems.

13.   Diplomats said delays could cause Afghanistan to be divided into a Northern Alliance-controlled region and a Taliban-controlled area in the south, around Kandahar.

14.   Delays could cause staffing problems across the government.

15.   For manufacturers, particularly small, medical device companies, FDA delays can cause major problems when trying to reduce costs and set up manufacturing.

16.   For travelers on deadlines, an airport delay might not cause as much damage as a late arrival.

17.   Industry officials, who favor the more business-friendly Commerce Department, have complained about the costs caused by delays in the process.

18.   Megan Thomas, a college student from Rocky Point, said the delays caused her to miss a test.

19.   Northeast Utilities bought Public Service Co. after it entered a bankruptcy caused by delays in collecting Seabrook construction costs, said Martin Murray, a company spokesman.

20.   Regulatory delays have caused other utility companies to abandon mergers.