Republicans unveiled a pared-down strategy to move voting legislation, and the Administration Committee began that process on Thursday.

A procedural ploy backed by state House Republicans has further delayed a vote on a nearly $3.1 billion year-end spending bill, pushing it to Friday. Republicans, who hold only a handful of seats in the lower chamber,

Democrats in Washington have softened their early opposition to the Republicans’ tiered approach to government spending, signaling a new openness to supporting the House GOP bill and averting a government shutdown at week’s end.