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.

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.

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.