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.

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.

Schumer relented one day after he vowed Senate Democrats would thwart the "partisan" measure, saying the "chaos" of a government shutdown would be a worse option.