GOP lawmaker defies Trump to his face: "We don’t need a government shutdown"

Donald Trump pushed for another government shutdown while hosting a White House meeting with law enforcement, and was almost immediately rebuked by a member of his own party.

“I’d love to see a shutdown,” Trump declared.

Trump has proposed an unworkable border wall, while Democrats want relief for immigrant Dreamers and their families who have been thrown into chaos by Trump’s anti-immigrant directives.

But his eagerness for another shutdown was quickly shot down by Virginia Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock.

“We don’t need a government shutdown on this,” Comstock said, adding, “both sides have learned that a government shutdown is bad.”

Comstock’s vocal repudiation of Trump, directly to his face, reflects concerns many Republicans may have about losing seats heading into the midterm elections.

Republicans are already facing headwinds, and are resigning at a historically high rate rather than face elections where they are weighed down by Trump’s toxic reputation.

Virginia has already demonstrated that there is a strong anti-Trump vote there, when Democrats won statewide and up and down the ticket in last year’s elections.

Comstock represents the 10th Congressional District in Virginia and won her race by a narrow margin in 2016. She is expected to face a close race in November in a seat that has been rated a “toss-up” by congressional observers.

What Comstock understands is something that Trump does not or cannot: His party is unpopular, particularly with him at the helm. So is another government shutdown. The combination of the two is something that could wipe out many Republican seats.

It is no wonder she took an unusual step and defied him, right to his face and in front of the whole world.