Before leaving on its vacation today, the Senate easily approved a balanced-budget deal between Mr. Clinton and Congressional leaders.

Each day without a credible balanced-budget deal puts greater pressure on the dollar, but traders are expecting only a modest decline in its value.

I'll tell you," he said, "outside the Beltway in my state there's very strong sentiment for a seven-year balanced-budget deal.

Traders say the dollar would be likely to strengthen on news of a balanced-budget deal, because that would decrease the possibility of higher inflation.

Unencumbered by traditional Washington alliances and thinking, Mr. Bowles was able to broker the balanced-budget deal with the Republicans.

Budget True and False You can't believe everything you hear about the balanced-budget deal.

As part of the so-called balanced-budget deal that passed both houses last week, Congress canceled those caps.

According to Gingrich, positive impacts of the government shutdown included the balanced-budget deal in 1997 and the first four consecutive balanced budgets since the 1920s.

Later, in the Democrats' view, the President double-crossed them on welfare changes and the 1997 balanced-budget deal.

He praised the most recent balanced-budget deal for finishing that work by leading to an expected surplus in 2002.