New Delhi, March 29 -- The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stretched into its 44th day and becoming the longest funding lapse in US history.

The shutdown, which began on February 14, has now surpassed the previous record set during an earlier federal funding gap that lasted from October to mid-November.

Efforts to reopen DHS suffered a major setback after House Republicans pushed through a short-term funding bill that is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

The Senate had earlier approved a bipartisan proposal to fund most DHS operations, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The Senate has repeatedly failed to advance a full funding bill due to the 60...