Senate leaders struck a deal on Friday to pave the way for passage of the House GOP’s seven-month stopgap spending bill and avoid a government shutdown.

Under the deal, Democrats agreed to speed up consideration of the bill to allow a vote on Friday in exchange for votes on four amendments — but not Democrats’ preferred four-week funding alternative. Without an accord, it would have taken days to get the stopgap bill through the Senate and a shutdown would have started just after midnight on Saturday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune separately set up action on a bill to reverse some cuts to the District of Columbia budget that were included in the stopgap funding bill.