Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt pulled no punches as she delivered her party’s rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night, ripping him for his “despicable” job handling the border crisis, as well as his promotion of “Bidenomics” amid the rising consumer costs plaguing American families.
A rising star within the GOP, the 42-year-old Britt’s selection to deliver the rebuttal last week was met with widespread praise — even from some Democrats — as she continues to build a national profile despite never holding elected office prior to her election in the 2022 midterms.
Britt began her remarks with a reference to Biden’s age and his decades as a career politician, blasting his speech as “the performance of a permanent politician who has actually been in office for longer than I’ve been alive.”
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Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt delivers the GOP rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Fox News)
“The country we know and love seems to be slipping away, and it feels like the next generation will have fewer opportunities – and less freedoms – than we did. I worry my own children may not even get a shot at living their American Dreams,” Britt said.
“The American Dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. The true, unvarnished State of our Union begins and ends with this: Our families are hurting. Our country can do better,” she said.
Britt then sought to pick apart Biden’s policies, starting with the ongoing crisis at the southern border that’s seen a historic number of migrants cross into the U.S. She specifically called out his diversion from former President Donald Trump’s border policies.
“President Biden inherited the most secure border of all-time. But minutes after taking office, he suspended all deportations, halted construction of the border wall, and announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. We know that President Biden didn’t just create this border crisis. He invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days,” she said.
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She went on to describe the brutalities inflicted upon migrants by cartel members at the border, as well as the recent tragic death of Georgia college student Laken Riley, who was allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
President Joe Biden speaks during a State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable,” she said, referencing Riley. “President Biden finally said her name, but he refused to take responsibility for his own actions … but enough is enough.”
Britt said Biden’s failures “didn’t stop” at the border and turned to rising costs and the economy, arguing “the American people are scraping by.”
“Hardworking families are struggling to make ends meet today. And with soaring mortgage rates and sky-high childcare costs, they’re also struggling to plan for tomorrow. The American people are scraping by while the President proudly proclaims Bidenomics is working! Bless his heart. We know better,” she said.
Britt then decried Democrats’ crime policies and calls from progressives to defund the police, before fuming over what she described as Biden “making us a punchline on the world state,” citing rising chaos around the world.
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“Where I’m from, your word is your bond. But for three years, this President has demonstrated that America’s word doesn’t mean what it used to. From abandoning allies in his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan … to desperately pushing another dangerous deal with Iran, President Biden has failed. We’ve become a nation in retreat. And the enemies of freedom see an opportunity,” she said.
“Right now, our Commander in Chief is not in command. The free world deserves better than a dithering and diminished leader. America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are the cornerstones of a great nation,” she added.
Republican Katie Britt speaks to supporters at her election night watch party after winning the U.S. Senate race in Alabama, on Nov. 8 in Montgomery, Alabama. (AP/Vasha Hunt)
Britt closed by arguing the nation was at “a crossroads,” but that it didn’t have to be that way.
“We all feel it. But here’s the good news: we people are still in the driver’s seat. We get to decide whether our future will grow brighter, or whether we settle for an America in decline,” she said. “Well, I know which choice our children deserve – and I know the choice the Republican Party is fighting for.”
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Britt, who previously served as chief of staff to now-retired GOP Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, and later as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, was born and raised in Enterprise, Alabama.
She defeated then-Republican Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s Senate primary in 2022 before going on to win the general election that November.
Britt endorsed former President Donald Trump in December, writing in a Yellowhammer News op-ed that the “results of his strong leadership as the 45th President of the United States are clear for all to see” after living under the Biden administration’s policies.
Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.