U.S. Senate expected to hold procedural vote on stopgap spending bill on Thursday

The U.S. Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on a stop-gap funding bill on Thursday, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday. The spending bill would keep the federal government running through March 11, avoiding a potential partial shutdown.

The bill, already approved by the House of Representatives, would avert government agency shutdowns as existing money is set to expire at midnight on Friday. It was not clear if the final vote on passage would take place on Thursday.