Obama Dines With Female Senators

Six months after requesting the meeting, the women of the U.S. Senate, all 20 of them, sat down tonight for dinner with President Obama.

The president met for just over two hours with the record-breaking group composed of four Republicans and 16 Democrats.

"The president enjoyed continuing his discussion with the senators about a wide range of items on the agenda, including working together to find common ground on budget issues and new initiatives to grow our economy, create jobs, and strengthen the middle class," according to a White House official.

In October, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told the president about the women's regular bipartisan get-togethers.

"I told him about our quarterly dinners, and I said 'Mr. President, if you want to see bipartisanship in Washington, invite the women senators to help you get it done.' And he loved the idea and he plans to invite us to the White House," Gillibrand told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview in January.

Tonight, the president made good on that promise.

Over a meal that included Alaskan halibut and peach pie, the president and the senators discussed immigration reform, efforts to reform the nation's gun laws, and education, according to the official.

"The president also reiterated his commitment to ensuring all resources remain available as a part of the ongoing investigation into the explosions in Boston last week and commended law enforcement efforts," the official said.

The president has hosted similar, separate, dinners in recent weeks with Senate Republicans and Democrats, part of an ongoing effort by the administration to bolster communications with Capitol Hill.