21.   A White House spokesman said Clinton and Hastert briefly discussed the budget impasse after the session.

22.   Administration officials said that cleanup operations were unlikely to resume soon at more than half of the idled sites because of the budget impasse.

23.   After discussing Bosnia for an hour, aides said, the two sides spent another hour talking about the budget impasse.

24.   Afterward, each of them left Washington, despite the growing public frustration over the budget impasse that has left thousands of federal employees in limbo.

25.   All of it shows how the federal budget impasse is causing ripple effects at every level of government statewide.

26.   Also expected to help stocks today were signs that an end to the federal budget impasse may be in sight.

27.   All statistics released by the Commerce and Labor departments have been delayed until the budget impasse is resolved.

28.   Although Congress and the White House have agreed to reopen the federal government temporarily, uncertainty over the budget impasse remains.

29.   But if history is a guide, Congress will authorize payment in full for their deferred wages when it resolves the budget impasse.

30.   But it clearly left open that possibility if the country fails to meet any of its payments on U.S. Treasury obligations because of the budget impasse.