President Donald Trump speaks while Republican senators and other guests sit at tables under umbrellas during a luncheon he hosted at the White House Rose Garden Club on Oct. 21, 2025 (Tuesday). [Reuters/Kevin Lamarque]

Senate Republicans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, signaling their resolve would not crack as a government shutdown entered its fourth week and pressure mounted for a deal.

Gathered at Trump's invitation in the Rose Garden, the Republican senators reaffirmed their stance that they would refuse to fund healthcare provisions demanded by Democrats before reopening the government. The working lunch and show of unity aimed to demonstrate the party's cohesion as federal agencies remain shuttered and hundreds of thousands of workers are furloughed.

Trump kicked off the gathering with fanfare, calling Republicans a "team that delivers" and directly praising several senators for their "loyalty and leadership." He also used the occasion to criticize former President Joe Biden and preview new trade and foreign policy moves, declaring, "We're a rich country again."

Senate Minority Leader John Thune (Republican-South Dakota) later told reporters that Republicans are a "unified team" and that the president is eager to reopen the government, but only after Democrats agree to negotiations over healthcare subsidies. "The president is certainly very interested in reopening the government," he said, "but we have to open the government first."

Senator Roger Marshall (Republican-Kansas) described the luncheon as "an effort to bring all the team members together... to make sure we don't have any weak links." He added, "Democrats need to fund the government first. After that, we can sit down and fix Obamacare (ACA)."

According to CBS News, Senator Markwayne Mullin (Republican-Oklahoma) told reporters that "most of the conversation was about what the next steps would be after Democrats make a decision to reopen the government and get out of this Schumer shutdown."

Senator Rick Scott (Republican-Florida) pointed out that while Trump is the public face of the confrontation, the ultimate responsibility lies with Congress. "We're the ones who pass the appropriations bills," he said, according to a CBS News live broadcast. "It's not his responsibility, it's ours."

Senator James Lankford (Republican-Oklahoma) warned that Americans are "paying the price for Washington politics." He said that the shutdown has trapped "hard-working Americans and millions of federal employees" in the middle of a partisan fight that should never have reached this point.

Meanwhile, the economic fallout is deepening. Economists warn that a prolonged shutdown could lead to slower growth. The Head Start early childhood education program is scrambling for funding, and federal government estimates indicate that about 900,000 federal employees are on unpaid leave, with another 700,000 working without pay.

While most nonessential government functions typically cease during a shutdown, the Trump administration has sought to minimize disruption by continuing to pay troops and maintain some services. Trump even suggested the possibility of reopening closed Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, saying, "Probably they should just open."

Not all Republican senators were invited to the Rose Garden event. Trump made a point of noting an empty seat. "We had everybody there except one," he said. "You'll never guess who."

The absent senator was Rand Paul (Republican-Kentucky), whom Trump has previously described as someone who "votes no on everything."

Democrats, meanwhile, strongly condemned the event. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) said he contacted Trump, along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat-New York), urging him to "sit down with us at the negotiating table to fix the healthcare crisis, deal with this issue and end the Trump shutdown."

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP, and special correspondent for this publication. NNP info@newsandpost.com