Oct 22, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Senators to mingle mid-shutdown at rare two-party lunch

Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) left, and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in Dirksen building on Thursday, July 24, 2025. — Sens. Rand Paul, left, and Gary Peters at a Capitol Hill hearing on July 24. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have invited the entire Senate to a rare bipartisan lunch tomorrow at the Capitol, multiple sources told Axios.

Why it matters: With talks to re-open the federal government stuck in the mud, organizers see the full bipartisan lunch as a chance for the two sides to mingle — and a potential forum to kickstart discussions.

"Getting both parties together for lunch may help find a bipartisan solution," a spokesperson for Paul told Axios.
The session was planned before the government shut down, according to one congressional aide.

The big picture: Other avenues for negotiations have proved fruitless: Leaders aren't talking to each other. President Trump yesterday rejected top Democrats' request for a meeting. Rank-and-file talks have been toothless.

And Democrats are Thursday are expected to block a bill to pay troops and some federal workers.

Zoom out: The meeting is coming at an opportune moment: There has been chatter on the Hill this week that lawmakers are looking for an end-of-the-month off ramp

Some Democrats are eyeing the start of Affordable Care Act open enrollment on Nov. 1 as a mechanism that could force Republicans to agree to concessions before premiums spike.

But the central problem remains that Republicans see opening the government as a prerequisite for any talks with Democrats about health care. And Democrats view concessions on health care as essential to winning their votes to re-open the government.
And it's unclear how many Republicans, in particular, will attend the lunch.

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Scoop: Senators to mingle mid-shutdown at rare two-party lunch

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