The U.S. Senate on Friday was poised to pass a stopgap spending bill and avert 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.

Schumer said he would help advance a GOP spending bill because a shutdown "has consequences for America that are much, much worse."

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.