[U.S. Department of Homeland Security 'Shutdown' for Nearly a Month, Senate Appropriations Bill Faces Another Setback] The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been in a 'shutdown' for nearly a month, but the partisan struggle in Congress over the department's appropriations bill continues. On the 12th, due to opposition from Democrats, a Senate procedural vote on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security faced another setback and failed to advance, leaving the department in continued 'shutdown.' (CCTV News)