Alabama Sen. Katie Britt will deliver GOP response to State of the Union address

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that Britt will deliver the response on March 7, shortly after Biden’s remarks before a joint session of Congress. The GOP leaders touted Britt as a leading voice in a new generation of Republican lawmakers and attempted to draw contrast between the 42-year-old senator and the 81-year-old president.

Britt “is a champion for strong families, a secure border, national defense and a vibrant economy with stable prices and opportunities for all,” Johnson said in a statement. “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 described Britt as “an unapologetic optimist,” adding that “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.

Britt made history with her win in 2022, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate from Alabama. She succeeded retiring Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, whom she previously served as chief of staff.

Britt said she was “grateful” for the opportunity to deliver the response, adding in a post on X that she will “outline the Republican vision to secure the American Dream for generations to come.”

She said in a separate statement that she is excited to bring the“critical” perspective of parents and families “front and center.”

“There is no doubt that President Biden’s failed presidency has made America weaker and more vulnerable at every turn,” Britt added. “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.”

GOP leaders’ decision to have Britt deliver the party’s response comes as a number of Republicans are looking to distance themselves from a controversial, recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.

The ruling has been seen as infringing on in vitro fertilization, and following the ruling, Britt said that IVF treatments deserve “the protection of the law.”

“Defending life and ensuring continued access to IVF services for loving parents are not mutually exclusive,” Britt said in a post on X, in response to former President Donald Trump’s statement expressing support for the treatment. “Ultimately, IVF helps create life and grow families, and it deserves the protection of the law.”

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered the GOP response last year.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.

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