Settling into work as Alabama’s newest U.S. senator has meant getting use to some virtual parenting, sometimes including a daily devotional with one of her children, Katie Britt said Sunday.
Britt got a brief solo spotlight on “Fox News Sunday,” with host Shannon Bream introducing her as the second-youngest woman ever to serve in the Senate. The segment didn’t address any specific issues or policies but gave Britt a chance to talk about what it’s like to return as a full member of a governing body where she once served as an intern.
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Being addressed as “senator” can still be a little surreal, she said. “I kid you not, Shannon, I look around,” Britt said.
Bream suggested female officials are more likely to be asked about the impact of their work on family life, and Britt agreed. But to the question, she said the need to spend time in Washington represents a sacrifice that she wants to keep in context.
“I think about the sacrifice of so many people across our nation. And so, this is a sacrifice obviously for our family, to be away,” Britt said. “But it pales in comparison to that of our servicemen and -women who are gone overseas, many times for months on end. And some of them never actually having the opportunity to return home. You think about people who are pulling 12-hour shifts, or people who are working two jobs to make ends meet for their children, to be able to provide. What it puts in perspective is that everybody across this country has a story and everybody is giving it their all to make things work.
“One of the things we’ve committed to is Facetiming, we actually had dinner via Facetime this week,” she said of family life since her swearing-in. “My daughter and I are doing a daily devotion together, so doing that during Facetime, being able to talk about that, talk about her day, look at the scripture we’re reading and be able to be that hands-on parent, even though some of it is having to be done virtually.”
Britt said she thinks she represents “parents and hardworking Americans that are our age across the nation that want a voice.”
“I would say, we need you,” she said of such people. “Whether it’s school boards or the United States Senate, you see people from my generation saying ‘It’s time.’ It’s time for us to do our part, it’s time for us to contribute, it’s time for us to be a part of the solution. I would say, number one, we need you. And number two, be unafraid to fail.” Her own campaign was seen as a long shot, she said.
When Bream asked about the legacy Britt hopes to forge for herself, she suggested it will be as a legislator willing to built coalitions.
“I think it is critically important at this time in our history that we have people that are willing to have tough conversations so that they can make tough decisions so that we can face our challenges head-on,” she said. “In doing that you have to build relationships, because nothing is done by one single person or alone. Building those based on trust and respect is critically important. So I hope people will see me as one of those people that … is working each and every day to move the ball down the field so that the people of the nation and the state will be better as a result of my service.”
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