Who is Katie Britt, senator picked for GOP response to Biden’s State of the Union remarks

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is set to deliver the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday.

The party not in the White House typically delivers a rebuttal to the president’s annual speech before Congress. Biden is set to speak at 9 p.m. EST March 7 after accepting an invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) nearly two months ago.

In a post Thursday, Britt announced she was chosen to give the Republican response to Biden’s address.

“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to speak directly to my fellow Americans on March 7,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We’ll have a candid conversation about the future of our nation — and I’ll outline the Republican vision to secure the American Dream for generations to come.”

Britt said she is looking forward to putting the “critical perspective” of hardworking Republicans “front and center.” 

“There is no doubt that President Biden’s failed presidency has made America weaker and more vulnerable at every turn,” the senator told The Hill on Saturday in an emailed statement. “At this decisive moment in our country’s history, it’s time for the next generation to step up and preserve the American Dream for our children and our grandchildren.”

Here’s what you need to know about the senator:

Britt, 41, was sworn into office last year and became the first woman elected to represent Alabama in the Senate. She also was the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the upper chamber at age 40 and is the only GOP mom in the Senate with school-age children.

She beat Democratic candidate Dr. Will Boyd with 66 percent of the vote in the 2022 midterm election. Her campaign was endorsed by former President Trump.

Britt replaced six-term senator and former Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) in January. She won a seat on the same committee and serves as a ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the southern border.

Some Republicans are hoping Britt might be the future face of the GOP as a leader who believes in U.S. global leadership and strays away from Trump-like politics.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who announced this week he would be stepping down from his leadership role at the end of the year, has identified a GOP weakness among suburban woman and independents. Two of McConnell’s aides attended football games with Britt and she joined his leadership team as an informal adviser last year, as they may be eyeing her to be a future GOP leader.

Britt remained one of the last Republican members in Alabama’s delegation to endorse Trump in the 2024 GOP primary. In December. she wrote an op-ed where she cited inflation and illegal immigration under Biden as her reason for endorsing the former president, who is the current GOP front-runner in the race for the White House.

Britt, who resides in Montgomery, Ala., studied political science at the University of Alabama. She joined Shelby’s staff before earning her law degree and returned after graduating.

In 2018, she was selected as the president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.

She launched an initiative called “Keep Alabama Open” during the COVID-19 pandemic to oppose public calls for a nationwide mandatory shutdown.

In addition to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, she currently serves on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development, as well as the Committee on Rules and Administration.

 “A Christian, wife, and mother, faith and family are at the heart of Katie’s life,” her Senate website reads. “She is committed to fighting tireless to preserve the American Dream for our children and our children’s children.”

In 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who previously served as a White House press secretary under Trump, gave the Republican rebuttal to Biden’s State of the Union address.

The Hill has reached out to Britt for further comment about her upcoming remarks.