By Emily Jacobs | Washington Examiner
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) will deliver the GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, Republican leaders announced on Thursday.
The news was revealed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) one week before the address, which historically features a rebuttal speech by a member of the minority party. Britt, 42, is the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate and is considered a rising star in the party.
“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to speak directly to my fellow Americans and have a candid conversation about the future of our nation,” Britt said in a statement. “The Republican Party is the party of hardworking parents and families, and I’m looking forward to putting this critical perspective front and center.”
Britt cast blame on Biden for making the United States “weaker and more vulnerable at every turn” of his presidency, calling for the “next generation to step up and preserve the American dream.”
“As the only current Republican mom of school-aged kids serving in the Senate, Katie is fighting to preserve the American dream for the next generation,” Johnson said of Britt. “The American people will tune in as the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate turns the page on the oldest President in history.”
McConnell praised Britt, who is a member of his leadership team, in a statement as an “unapologetic optimist” who would offer the nation “a very different perspective” on how Biden had performed.
“As one of our nation’s youngest senators, she’s wasted no time becoming a leading voice in the fight to secure a stronger American future and leave years of Washington Democrats’ failures behind,” McConnell said of Britt.
In addition to serving on McConnell’s leadership team, Britt also sits on several high-profile committees, including the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she sits on the top Republican on the Homeland Security subcommittee. Britt, a practicing attorney, served as former Sen. Richard Shelby’s chief of staff before running for the seat upon his retirement.
