The legislation would apparently shield the D.C. government from a billion-dollar cut, but it would still need to be approved by the House.

By Richard Cowan, Bo Erickson and Gabriella Borter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Friday passed a stopgap spending bill, averting a partial government shutdown, after Democrats backed down in a standoff driven by anger over President Donald Trump's campaign to slash the federal workforce.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that he will vote to advance a Republican bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, potentially averting the threat of a government shutdown.