Freshman Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, 42, the youngest female senator, will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech March 7.
Britt, who endorsed former President Donald Trump to be the Republican presidential nominee for November's election, is the first woman elected to the Senate from Alabama. In a joint statement with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Britt said “it’s time for the next generation to step up.”
“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 said.
Britt has emerged as a dark horse candidate to be Trump's running mate. Political analyst Mark Halperin told Newsmax in January, "I think Katie Britt is going to be Trump's pick" for vice president.
Britt's response will come amid backlash against the Alabama Supreme Court for ruling that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Several clinics in the state announced they were pausing IVF services as they sort out the decision.
Soon after the ruling, Britt made calls to fellow Republicans, including Trump, to argue for the importance of supporting the treatments, emphasizing that they are pro-life and pro-family.
Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, said he strongly supports the availability of IVF and called on lawmakers in Alabama to preserve access to it.
McConnell called Britt an “unapologetic optimist.”
“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.
Johnson noted Britt is “the only current Republican mom of school-aged kids serving in the Senate” and said she is a “champion for strong families, a secure border, national defense and a vibrant economy with stable prices and opportunities for all.”
A former congressional staffer and attorney, Britt was elected in 2022. She replaced her former boss on the Senate Appropriations Committee, longtime Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby.
Last year, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former Trump White House press secretary, gave the speech.
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