House votes to fully fund Homeland Security Department, setting up showdown with Senate

House Republicans late Friday voted to fully fund the Homeland Security Department after rejecting a compromise that would have excluded immigration enforcement, setting up a showdown with the Senate as a partial government shutdown showed no sign of ending.

The 213-203 vote approved six weeks of full funding through May 22, seeking to pressure senators not to exclude previously approved money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

House Republican leaders said that President Donald Trump supported their idea for temporary but full funding.

"House Republicans have voted once again to FULLY FUND the Department of Homeland Security," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said. "Nearly every single House Democrat voted no.

"It COULD NOT BE ANY CLEARER who truly cares about the safety and security of the American people and who is using them as political pawns," he added.

With the congressional stalemate showing no signs of ending, Trump took matters into his own hands earlier Friday and signed an executive order to pay Transportation Security Administration employees who have worked for weeks without paychecks.

Trump signed the action hoping to ease long security lines at many of the nation’s airports. 

“America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point,” Trump wrote in his order.