Twelve Republican senators–including Johnny Isakson (GA) and Marco Rubio (FL)–joined President Barack Obama for a “productive” steak dinner at the White House on Wednesday and discussed a wide range of issues that included the debt, immigration reform, and gun control.
This was the second dinner Obama has had with a group of Republican senators this year. After his first dinner last month, Obama contacted Isakson to help organize another dinner.
“Our dinner with President Obama tonight was very productive,” Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who organized organized the dinner on the Republican side, said in a statement. “We discussed the debt, deficits and fiscal challenges facing our country. “
According to The Hill, Obama and the senators also discussed immigration reform and gun control.
Isakson said sitting down to talk about how to reduce the debt was a “a good first step to what I hope will be an ongoing discussion and a path forward to solving our nation’s problems.”
White House officials said Obama “enjoyed a constructive and wide-ranging discussion” with the Republican senators and thanked Isakson for “bringing the group together.”
Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander (TN), John Boozman (AR), Susan Collins (ME), Mike Enzi (WY), Deb Fischer (NB), Orrin Hatch (UT), Pat Roberts (KS), John Thune (SD) Roger Wicker (MS), and Mike Crapo (ID) joined Isakson, Rubio, and Obama at the dinner.