ICYMI: U.S. Senator Katie Britt Joins CNN
‘[A]t the end of the day, we know we have to deliver results … We’re going to make sure that hard working people can keep more of their money’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined State of the Union on CNN to discuss President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and how the bill will benefit Alabamians.
Excerpts from Senator Britt’s interview are below. The full interview can be viewed here.
On the goal of Republicans’ reconciliation bill:
“[A]t the end of the day, we know we have to deliver results. President Trump ran on this. He said, we are going to change America for the better. We’re going to make sure that hard working people can keep more of their money. We’re going to make sure that we have secure borders, not just now, but for generations to come. We’re going to make sure that we have a strong national defense, that our warfighter is the best trained, equipped, and ready across the planet. We’re going to unleash American energy, and we’re going to make sure that people who have been unseen are seen.”
On strengthening and preserving entitlement programs:
“We want hardworking Americans to keep more of their taxpayer dollars. And we also want to make sure that these programs are alive and well for the people that they were intended for. I mean, if you think about it, Jake, the entitlement spending in this nation is absolutely out of control … And ultimately, that means that these programs would one day be insolvent for the very people that need them.
“We’re trying to make structural reforms that make these programs stronger and make them be able to actually last and be there for the people who need that assistance … We want them to be safety nets, not hammocks that people stay in, but getting people on their feet so that they can achieve the American Dream. That’s what they were intended for, and Jake, that’s what we have an obligation to do, is preserve them for the very people who they were meant to serve.
“Children (on Medicaid) are absolutely not touched by this. Same thing when it comes to SNAP benefits. So, we’ve made sure that that is taken off the table. What you’re talking about is able-bodied, working-aged Americans without dependents at home, having them work, train, (or) volunteer in some capacity, 20 hours a week in order to receive those government benefits …
“Under the Biden Administration, we stopped that accountability for the SNAP program … ensuring that states have some skin in the game will ultimately help us be able to deliver these resources and services that these people so desperately need …Nobody across the country wants a state to be able to freeload. You ultimately have some states that have over a 60% (payment) error rate in this. We’ve got to get it right because we have to preserve these programs.”
On tax provisions in the Senate’s reconciliation bill:
“This bill does no tax on tips, it does no tax on overtime. Real hardworking Americans are going to see results of this, and one thing that we haven’t talked enough about is child care. The child care provisions in this piece of legislation, I was the tip of the spear on that. We have actually not updated those since [1986] with regards to D-CAP under Reagan. And then you move forward, when it comes to the other two provisions of child care tax structure, we haven’t [updated those] since 2001.
“Look, the affordability and accessibility of child care is challenging for parents and hardworking Americans across the board because of this piece of legislation, they’re going to be able to keep more of their hard earned money, and businesses, large and small, are going to be empowered to be a part of the solution. So these are real, tangible things that Americans are going to see, and they’re going to like what they see when this goes into effect.”
On the success of President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
“[I]f you look at like back over the last several years, obviously Democrats have had two bites at the apple when it comes to reconciliation and that neither time did they touch [TCJA]. It’s because they understand that when you’re looking for job growth and you’re looking to actually build the economy, they know that the TCJA worked …
“The numbers showed themselves that the economy began moving, the numbers that we had seen previously from [CBO] were put to shame. And President Trump’s previous TCJA actually made significant strides in that direction as far as moving the economy coast to coast, and if that had not been the case, then you know that Democrats, and their two bites at the apple with regards to reconciliation, would have taken care of that.”
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