By JM Rieger and Emma Dumain

Three days before Homeland Security department funding was due to expire, the House successfully voted Tuesday to fund the agency through the end of September. The 257-167 vote puts an end to the lurching uncertainty for the department, but time will tell just how easy it will be for House Republican leaders to move past the drama of the past few weeks. On Tuesday, every House Democrat made it possible for 75 House Republicans to secure passage of the policy rider-free DHS funding bill the Senate advanced nearly a week ago. That vote occurred because Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, gave tacit permission for senior appropriator and Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson to force floor consideration of the Senate-passed bill using House Rule XXII.