Senate to Pass Stopgap Spending Bill as Congress Moves to Avert Shutdown

The Senate was expected to pass legislation on Thursday to fund the government through early March, putting pressure on the House to quickly follow suit to avoid a partial government shutdown beginning Saturday.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader, cleared the way on Wednesday for a midday vote on the measure. It is intended to give Congress time to pass spending bills totaling $1.66 trillion to fund the government through the fall, holding most federal spending steady while bolstering the military.

The legislation “will give Congress time to continue working on the appropriations process to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year,” Mr. Schumer said. “We hope that the House will take up this bill before the Friday deadline with bipartisan support.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, who negotiated the overall spending package with Mr. Schumer, has been criticized by the hard right faction in the House for not insisting on greater cuts. He will need significant numbers of Democrats to back the measure given expected Republican opposition.

Even considering the bill represents a reversal by the speaker, who pledged last year to not take up any more short-term spending packages. But time ran out to enact the 12 individual bills that fund the government, forcing the hand of Mr. Johnson, who does not want House Republicans to be blamed for a disruption in government services heading into elections in November.

The timing of any House vote remains unclear, though the leadership has left open the possibility of a quick vote after the Senate acts. A snowstorm is predicted for the Washington region on Friday, and lawmakers will be eager to leave town and avoid the possibility of flight cancellations that