Republican Rand Paul uses Heimlich maneuver to save fellow Senator from choking on food in dramatic scenes in Congress

Sen. Rand Paul saved a choking Sen. Joni Ernst with the Heimlich maneuver during a Senate GOP lunch on Thursday. 

'Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!' Ernst, R-Iowa, wrote on X after the incident. 

Ernst was the host of the Thursday lunch - which consisted of pork chops and ribeye from the Hawkeye state. 

'God bless Rand Paul,' Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., quipped to a reporter after the incident. 'I never thought I'd say that,' he added. The two have frequently sparred on foreign policy issues over the years. 

Paul, R-Ky., is an ophthalmologist by background. 

Ernst, the number four Republican in the Senate, formerly served in the Army reserves and Army National Guard.