Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) expressed his concern over Congress's increasing habit of using government shutdowns as a mechanism to achieve legislative goals.

Himes noted that this practice affects federal workers such as TSA agents and Department of Agriculture employees, who do not get paid during these disputes. The comment came on CBS's "Face the Nation", where the congressman analyzed the current situation.

The lack of agreement on DHS funding has led to a partial shutdown, as Democrats insist on reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Democrats have backed measures that would fund the rest of DHS but exclude ICE and some Border Patrol functions. DHS has been operating without funding since February 14, surpassing last fall's shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history.

The current DHS shutdown, which followed a four-day lapse in late January and early February, stemmed from reforms sought by congressional Democrats.

These reforms arose after federal officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis earlier this year. Proposed reforms include requiring federal immigration officers to obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property and barring them from wearing masks during operations.

The Senate passed a bill by unanimous consent to fund DHS sans Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson slammed the deal as a "joke". Later, Republicans and three centrist Democrats passed a bill to fund all of DHS for two months.

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defended her vote in favor of funding, arguing that it is wrong not to pay workers.

Himes, while agreeing on the ineffectiveness of shutdowns, disagreed with Gluesenkamp Perez's assertion about ideological purity. The House stopgap measure has little chance of passing in the Senate, leaving lawmakers without a clear path out of the DHS shutdown.