ICYMI: U.S. Senator Katie Britt Joins Shannon Bream, Discusses Bipartisan Legislation, Senate Republican Plan to Deliver Results
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 20, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined the Livin’ The Bream Podcast with FOX News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream to discuss her bipartisan legislative efforts to tackle America’s youth mental health and child care crises, as well as her priorities heading into a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate in partnership with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Select excerpts from the podcast are below. The full podcast is available HERE.
On Mental Health:
“. . . it’s my belief that if you share a common goal with someone from the other side of the aisle, you have a duty to the people that you serve to get in a room and to try to figure out a pathway forward. And I have done that with my good friend, Senator John Fetterman . . . [we] have worked together on a number of social media efforts. In particular, more recently, the Stop the Scroll Act, trying to make sure that [a] Surgeon General warning (label) comes up on social media, [a]llowing people to know the potential dangers to their mental health. . .”
On Child Care:
“. . . The availability and affordability of child care was something I wanted to make sure that I addressed right off the bat in getting here. And finding a good partner across the aisle, Senator Tim Kaine obviously has been a leader in this space . . . So, we came up with innovative things. We’re hoping that that’ll be a part of the tax conversation coming up, [while] also allowing businesses to become more involved and incentivized in helping in [the child care] space . . . ”
On Republicans’ Senate Majority and President-Elect Trump’s Return to the White House:
“. . . On November 5, the American people spoke, and they spoke loudly. And with that comes a lot of responsibility. And people are going to expect actual results. I think you nailed it in starting with the border. I mean, you look at where we are, obviously, I think you’ll see President Trump come in with a significant amount of strength . . . I think there will be a real discussion about as we move forward and fund the government. We have not done the FY25 bills, and we’ll have FY26 coming up . . . I think we’ll have honest dialogue about what works and putting money in the right places to help secure that border.”
“I think ultimately, though, the American people have spoken. President Trump’s agenda is what they want, and I think that we must get working, not on January 3 when we’re sworn in, we’re working today on being prepared to hit the ground running . . . (I’m) certainly looking forward to making sure that we get going and get his policies and his people in place so that we can get good things done for the American people.”
Background:
Senator Britt, since taking office, has been committed to addressing the challenges and dangers posed by social media. In May, she joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), each a parent of school-aged children, in introducing the Kids Off Social Media Act. Additionally, Senator Britt is a cosponsor of Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Conn.) Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
In September, Senator Britt joined Senator Fetterman in introducing the Stop the Scroll Act, which would create a mental health warning label requirement for social media platforms to ensure all users are aware of the potential mental health risks posed by social media usage and are provided access to mental health resources. The Senator led this bipartisan legislation in response to Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy recently calling for a warning label be placed on social media platforms.
Senator Britt is also at the forefront in the Senate working on legislation that supports families throughout all seasons. Earlier this year, she introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act with Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Together, these two pieces of legislation form the boldest bipartisan proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs and increase the supply of child care providers. To support families and women, she has introduced the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act. She has also cosponsored the Child Care Worker Opportunity Act, NIH IMPROVE Act, and Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act.
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