GOP lawmaker criticizes Trump to his face for inviting shutdown

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) criticized President Trump to his face on Tuesday for saying he would “love to see a shutdown” during a meeting with lawmakers and administration officials.

“We don’t need a government shutdown on this,” Comstock said during the White House meeting with Trump, according to a pool report.

{mosads}But Trump interrupted her and doubled down on his willingness to have another shutdown over the immigration battle.

“You can say what you want; we are not getting support of the Democrats,” Trump said.

Comstock represents a Virginia district in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., that is home to many federal workers. She is considered a top target for Democrats in this fall’s midterm elections. Hillary Clinton defeated Trump by 10 points in Comstock’s district in the 2016 election, and a crowded Democratic field has emerged to fight for the right to take her on in the fall.

Before the remarks to Comstock, Trump said he would be willing to have another government shutdown if Republicans and Democrats can’t make a deal on immigration that includes his priorities.

“We’ll do a shutdown and it’s worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of,” Trump said.

“If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don’t want safety and, unrelated but still related, they don’t want to take care of our military, then shut it down. We’ll go with another shutdown,” he added.

Trump spoke as reports emerged of a possible deal to fund the government for the next two years. Lawmakers face a Feb. 8 deadline to fund the government and prevent a shutdown.