WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tomorrow, U.S. Senator Susan Collins will host the Senate’s first bipartisan lunch of the 114^th Congress.  In November, Collins and Senator Angus King (I-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 30 Senators in calling on their party leaders to schedule monthly lunches between their caucuses in the hope of building better and more productive relationships among all members of the Senate.

Senator Collins chose Maine-made items to feature at Wednesday’s lunch including, Maine lobster salad featuring a special recipe from the University of Maine; chips made from Maine potatoes; Maine wild blueberry pie served with vanilla or Maine wild blueberry ice cream produced by Gifford’s Ice Cream – a family-owned business based in Skowhegan, Maine.

In addition, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) will bring Virginia ham biscuits to share with the bipartisan group.

“As we work to address the many challenges facing our nation both at home and abroad, it is important that we work together to identify areas of common ground from which we can advance our nation,” said Senator Collins. “I’m honored to host this Congress’ inaugural bipartisan lunch and am hopeful that this is just the beginning of a very productive 114^th Congress.”

“When it comes to bipartisan cooperation and working across the aisle to get things done, I’ve discovered that nothing is more important than relationships,” said Senator King. “It may seem small, but even something as simple as senators having lunch together can help forge the bonds that hold the power to make the Senate a more productive body. I look forward to joining together with my colleagues tomorrow and hope that, with a little help from Maine’s delicious foods, it will be the first of many bipartisan lunches to come.”

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