Trump squabbles with a Republican congresswoman over shutting the government down

President Donald Trump.
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump quarreled with "one of the most vulnerable House Republicans" on Tuesday after she called him out on urging a government shutdown, The Washington Post's Robert Costa reports.

Speaking at a law enforcement panel centered around the MS-13 gang, Trump had said: "If we don't change [immigration] legislation, if we don't get rid of these loopholes where killers are allowed to come into our country and continue to kill ... let's have a shutdown." He added: "If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don't want safety, let's shut it down." Immigration is not included in the bipartisan legislation being worked on at the moment in the Senate, The Hill reports.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) additionally told Trump: "We don't need a government shutdown on this," the pool reports. She further "emphasiz[ed] both that both parties see the downside of a shutdown, and there is bipartisan support for a crackdown on violent gangs." Trump cut Comstock off to tell her: "You can say what you want. We are not getting support of the Democrats."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

It is not the first time Trump has refused to bat an eye at a shutdown. In May 2017, he urged "a good shutdown" in a tweet.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.