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 took heavy criticism from fellow Democrats for allowing GOP measure to proceed, calling it the better of two bad options.

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.