Democrats have long found the flip phone Chuck Schumer still insists on using as an endearing quirk that illustrates how committed he is to his way of talking to all sorts of allies, all the time.

By Richard Cowan, Bo Erickson and Gabriella Borter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -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.

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.