Freshman US Senator Katie Britt Is Appointed to 2 Powerful Committees

Alabama Republican Senate candidate and honorary starter, Katie Britt is introduced on stage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Oct. 3, 2021. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

She may be a freshman and newbie in the United States Senate, but Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has found herself assigned to two committees with a lot of power and sway: the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Rules & Administration.

Britt is the first woman from Alabama elected to the United States Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced the committee assignments on Feb. 1.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks during a news conference following a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 24, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Britt has also been named to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

The Senate Republican Conference Committee ratified the assignments, and they now go to the full Senate for ratification.

“I have always said that my mission is to ensure Alabama has the best possible seat at the table, and these committee assignments will strongly position me to fight effectively for our great state’s people, interests, and values during my first two years in the United States Senate,” Britt, an attorney, said in a press release put out by the U.S. Senate.

“I want to be the kind of leader who works to identify and implement tangible, meaningful solutions to the pressing challenges facing Alabama and America. I look forward to championing priorities that help preserve the American Dream, build a bright future, and grow opportunities for our children and our children’s children.”

Powerful Committees

With 30 members, the Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the Senate and holds the purse strings on federal spending. Its role, as defined by the Constitution, is to approve “appropriations made by law” before the federal government can spend the money.  It writes legislation that allows for the annual appropriation of funds to government departments, agencies, and organizations.

Powerful authority is also held by the Committee on Rules and Administration, with the Senate defining that authority as “jurisdiction over the internal management of the Senate, as well as responsibility for legislation establishing federal election laws.”

‘Mama on a Mission’

In November, Britt won the race for the seat vacated by Richard Shelby, who had served Alabama as a U.S. senator for 35 years.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via AP)

Britt, 40, held the position of chief of staff for Shelby before she left to take the top job with a state business advocacy group.

She is married to former University of Alabama football star and New England Patriots player Wesley Britt, with whom she has two school-age children.

Britt identifies as a conservative, and has called herself a “mama on a mission.”