Senator Katie Britt has quickly established herself as one of the most effective, well-respected members of the United States Senate.
In all my years observing state and national politics, I have never seen someone gain esteem on both sides of the aisle as quickly and as genuinely as Britt during her first 16 months in office. Furthermore, she has done it all while being a steady, strong champion for Christian conservative values and priorities that Alabamians hold dear. In recognition of her staunch conservative voting record, Senator Britt was honored with CPAC’s Award for Conservative Achievement this year.
In my pre-Christmas column this past December, I wrote about Senator Britt’s early mastery of her roles on the Appropriations, Banking, and Rules Committees. Through Appropriations, she secured the ninth-most funding out of 100 U.S. Senators – despite the fact she was a freshman member and ranked dead-last in seniority at the beginning of the year. This prowess in bringing Alabamians’ taxpayer money back home and making wise investments in the state’s future is the hallmark of a senior stateswoman, far surpassing Britt’s status as the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the upper chamber of Congress.
Outside of her impressive appropriations acumen, Britt is already running laps around her colleagues when it comes to the art of legislating, too. In recent weeks alone, Britt has seen a handful of her co-sponsored pieces of legislation be enacted into law in overwhelming bipartisan fashion. This includes complex foreign policy bills that crack down on America’s greatest adversaries: China, Iran, and Russia. Britt has emerged as a stalwart advocate for Alabama’s military bases and communities. Britt helped ensure that training funds were not taken away this month by the Biden Administration from the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker in her native Wiregrass. Britt’s intervention was seen as integral in saving a flight simulation training program from being halted.
It is no secret that Senator Britt has quickly cemented herself as one of the foremost pro-border security, anti-illegal immigration hawks in Washington. She helped lead the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which was signed into law in April, alongside Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Katie has been a champion for rural housing affordability and rural infrastructure. She has also made it a personal mission to increase health care access and improve health care outcomes for rural Alabamians. First, Britt recently partnered with Senator Laphonza Butler, a Democrat from California, to introduce the NIH IMPROVE Act. This bipartisan bill would provide consistent support and resources to conduct important research into America’s maternal mortality crisis and improve health care outcomes for women before, during, and after pregnancy. This type of effort is especially needed in Alabama, where over a third of our state’s 67 counties are classified as “maternity care deserts.” Britt’s introduction of the comprehensive MOMS Act with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also speaks to her commitment to solving the challenges facing so many women, children, and families. Sadly, Alabama has the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation. That reality is why Britt has also joined Senator Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, in introducing the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act.
Additionally, Britt has co-sponsored a major bipartisan bill to expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. That’s not even to mention the two pieces of bipartisan legislation she has co-sponsored to help all Alabamians access affordable insulin.
Finally, Britt, partnering with Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, introduced the Youth Mental Health Research Act. Britt is a member of the honorary congressional working group for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force, underscoring her national leadership on a critical topic for America’s children and families.
Unfortunately, you will not hear or see most of these bipartisan efforts by Britt covered by the liberal media. The Nancy Pelosi left wing of the Democratic Party lie and distort the bipartisan pro-women work of Katie Britt. They fear our Katie Britt. The left wing ultra liberals only shoot at worthy targets, and they have Alabama’s Katie Britt in their sights. If you want to know another person’s value, just look at who is attacking them.
Britt is an incredibly bright rising Republican superstar, and she is shining a light on the best of Alabama every day. We are fortunate to have a stalwart senator, who simultaneously fights for Alabama’s Christian conservative values and is an effective mover-and-shaker behind the scenes. That is why she was invited to sit at the Senate Republican leadership table. Britt is not only building Alabama’s future – she is our state’s greatest asset today.
See you next week.
Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at steve@steveflowers.us.
In an interview with FOX News, U.S. Senator Katie Britt emphasized former President Donald Trump’s unwavering support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) earlier this week as she announced new legislation on the topic, alongside colleague Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
“First, watching the political prosecution of Donald Trump is a travesty. But speaking of him, he has been a huge champion of IVF. He started formally with IVF and with families opportunities to bring life into this world what this piece of legislation does is it says that we are going to protect IVF and that way none of these families have to worry about that in the future,” Britt said.
“And we believe that the Republican Party is the party of life. We’re the party of families for the party of opportunity, and this will just ensure that we continue to be able to do that.”
She concluded that the IVF Protection Act would ensure this continues.
Trump’s support for IVF was made clear in February, following the initial state supreme court decision. On Truth Social, Trump said, “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families. We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder!”
Sens. Britt and Cruz (R-TX) introduced the IVF Protection Act to ensure the availability of IVF services nationwide. This federal legislation seeks to prevent states from banning IVF by making them ineligible for Medicaid funding if they do so.
Full interview:
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
7. The city of Madison reports a third baby has been surrendered through the Safe Haven Baby Box at a local Fire Station since the box was set up this year. As with all babies surrendered, the baby was transferred to Madison Hospital for further evaluation, with the Department of Human Resources notified and an attempt will be made to find the baby a home.
6. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has decided to stop doing autopsies for the Department of Corrections after lawsuits claiming stolen organs on the part of litigation hungry family members seek answers and a payday after their loves one died in prison, so UAB has tapped out. UAB says it has done nothing wrong, “UAB Department of Pathology has been in compliance with laws governing autopsies to determine the cause of death of incarcerated individuals under the appropriate clinical standard – and a panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our protocols regarding autopsies conducted for incarcerated persons.”
5. Gas stations across the country will slash prices with the help of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, as they partner with gas stations across the country to highlight the increase in gas prices since President Joe Biden took office. The group is hosting events where gas prices are rolled back to $2.38 per gallon, the average price when Biden assumed office. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), who is taking part in this event, says this shows how much Biden’s policies are costing Americans, “Since President Biden took office, his spending spree has resulted in the people of Wyoming paying nearly $1200 more a month for basic goods and services.”
4. The United Autoworker Union (UAW) suffered a huge loss in Alabama last week and Alabama lawmakers were glad to pile on. Gov. Kay Ivey and other officials praised the decision, emphasizing the state’s stance against the UAW and its commitment to attracting high-paying jobs. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth noted that this vote was a vote for the state of Alabama’s manufacturing future, “Stopping unions from gaining a foothold here allows us to continue recruiting long-lasting, high-paying, 21st century jobs for many years to come.”
3. If you want to discuss gun violence in America, there is one place you should go: Birmingham, Alabama. But if you are asking the mayor of the city to offer up any good ideas on how to deal with crime in his city, all Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has to offer is blame for others. Mayor Woodfin criticized a recent NRA speech by former President Donald Trump and touted support for President Joe Biden who hasn’t really offered anything on this issue except things he can’t get through Congress.
2. U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have introduced the IVF Protection Act to safeguard in vitro fertilization services nationwide and ban Medicaid dollars to states if they ban access to IVF in their state. The national play on this issue is not a surprise, as IVF is relatively popular across the political spectrum, and Britt said, “This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty — family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law.”
1. The prosecution in the “hush money” trial of former President Donald Trump is learning that building their case around former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was not a great idea after Cohen admitted in court on Monday to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization by overstating payments to a tech company, further undermining his credibility. Cohen admitted that he claimed to have paid $50,000 to Red Finch but only paid $20,000, pocketing the difference and CNN’s Elie Honig noted that this crime is more serious than the crime Donald Trump is being charged with and the government knew about this crime and did not prosecute him in order to go after Trump.
7. The Kansas City Star, once a highly respected newspaper, hosted a call for the Kansas City Chiefs to “fire” kicker Harrison Butker over his Catholic-based commencement address at the Catholic Benedictine College and to replace him with a female kicker for “poetic justice.” The headline embarrassingly read, “The KC Chiefs should fire Harrison Butker and hire someone who kicks like a girl” ignoring Butker’s kicking is one reason the Chiefs have won multiple Super Bowls and the women they mention are not going to be competitive in the NFL for obvious reasons.
6. The absurdly trashy fight during a U.S. House committee hearing that heard female members of Congress referencing each other’s fake eyelashes and “bleach blonde bad built butch body” has gotten worse. That trashiness was surpassed in the days that follow when U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) tried to cash in on it selling a t-shirt with the quote on it as part of the “Crockett Clapback Collection” but she misspelled her own name.
5. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is confirmed dead after the helicopter carrying Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday in the country’s mountainous northwest region, search efforts yielded no results hours later. There are a lot of questions about who his replacement could be and what it means for the region and the tumultuous politics in Iran.
4. Crowds of pro-Hamas protestors took to the streets of Mobile chanting genocidal slogans, their stenographers were there, but the tweets covering their tantrums left out the more inflammatory rhetoric by the marchers. This latest protest trend seems to be slowing down on college campuses for commencements and elsewhere as TV stations in Washington had to change their headlines after they promoted a march of thousands and ended up with 400 people on the National Mall.
3. U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and 14 others are sponsoring the Israel Security Assistant Support Act which would force the Biden administration to stop threatening aid to Israel and deliver the aid that was approved by Congress. Britt, slams President Joe Biden in her press release, “President Biden has undermined Israel and empowered Hamas. We must stand unequivocally with Israel as she fights to end Hamas’ reign of terror and ensure there is never another October 7.”
2. President Joe Biden has some new bad polls to go with the bad day he had at Morehouse College over the weekend. It started as he was captured looking forlorn about the fact that no one cared that he was there and almost no one showed up for his motorcade and then the terrible person and notorious liar that is currently president decided to lie repeatedly to the graduates, some of whom turned their backs on him. Biden told the graduates that Republicans hate them, white men are hunting blacks for sports, books are being banned, that they require that they “be 10 times better than anybody else just to get a fair shot,” foolishly added, “They don’t see you in the future of America. But they’re wrong,” lied about voting in Georgia, and even clapped as a graduate declared that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict must happen right now.
1. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union faced a significant defeat in their high-profile unionization vote at the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing facility in Vance, Ala. The final tally, certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), showed 2,642 votes against unionization and 2,045 in favor. This loss is a major setback for the UAW’s strategy to expand into Southern states, despite a recent victory at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.
7. Three Bob Fergusons are running for governor in the state of Washington. Attorney General Bob Ferguson addressed the state’s governor’s race following the filing of two additional Democratic candidates named Bob Ferguson, denouncing it as an “illegal scheme” aimed at confusing voters and undermining the election process. AG Ferguson, the Democrat frontrunner, says this is a plot to undermine him as a candidate, which seems pretty obvious but it isn’t illegal.
6. Tara Johnson, an ALGOP volunteer, was attacked in Limestone County while leaving the Limestone County GOP Trump campaign headquarters sustaining injuries from punches to the face and having her head slammed against her truck’s door. The Athens Police Department is investigating the incident, calling it road rage incident, and Johnson, a disabled woman and dedicated conservative worker, has received support from the Alabama Republican Party, condemning the violence and emphasizing the importance of respectful political engagement but it may not even be political violence.
5. Former President Donald Trump exited a New York courtroom with a printout of a new New York Times poll, revealing his lead in five out of six swing states and stated, “They’ve kept me here for three and a half, four weeks instead of campaigning, and yet we still have the best poll numbers.” He’s right, Trump is up in Arizona 49-42, Michigan 49-42, Georgia 49-39, Nevada 50-38, Pennsylvania 47-44, but President Joe Biden is up in Wisconsin 47-45.
4. President Joe Biden is apparently so terrified of losing the support of anti-Semites he is transitioning from thwarting Israel by refusing to give Israel weapons Congress approved to helping Hamas by withholding intelligence, which is not going over well. Biden continues to pressure Israel into not going into Rafah by telling the world he won’t tell Israel where Hamas’ leadership is if they do, this falls far short of Biden’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel and his agreement that Hamas must be destroyed after their attacks on Oct. 7.
3. “The threat from Detroit” looms as Gov. Kay Ivey addresses the importance of automotive manufacturing to Alabama’s success and pushing back against unionization efforts at the Mercedes Benz plant in Vance, which began voting yesterday. Ivey signed Senate Bill 231 to safeguard the privacy of unionization ballots, asserting Alabama’s commitment to protecting jobs and resisting external pressures from Detroit are part of this push against this effort to
2. The media got their dream headline, “Star witness Michael Cohen directly implicates Trump in testimony at hush money trial” at the 16th day of the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump and they claim it “heightens the legal exposure” of the former president but the criminal element part of this is lacking, still. Cohen also admitted in texts with his daughter, which worried her, he was not happy about being passed over for Chief of Staff, but Cohen reassured her that he would maintain access to Trump and monetize their relationship.
1. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined former President Donald Trump in New York City to support the former president at his historic criminal prosecution where Trump’s former associate the felon, perjurer, and admitted liar Michael Cohen is the star witness. Tuberville called the case a political circus saying, “I’m proud to be in New York today to support my friend and president, Donald Trump. Americans see this case for what it is — a political circus,” and added, “the left can lie about President Trump all they want, but the American people aren’t buying it.”
U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Tim Kaine sent a letter to Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, urging action over the Mexican government’s ongoing harassment of Vulcan Materials Company.
The letter marks two years since the Mexican government’s invasion and shutdown of Vulcan’s Punta Venado deep-water port in Quintana Roo. Since the invasion, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has repeatedly threatened to seize Vulcan’s port and limestone quarry, despite the company’s 35-year presence in Mexico.
“President López Obrador’s conduct threatening Vulcan’s lawful operations in Mexico has consistently been unacceptable and illegitimate under Mexican law and international law. Key infrastructure projects in Alabama and across the Southeastern United States continue to be in jeopardy because of this Mexican presidential administration’s lawlessness,” Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
“I will always stand up for Alabama’s and America’s economic and security interests, and I urge the Mexican government to find a constructive path forward that will not threaten further degradation in the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship.”
Last March, the Alabama delegation met with Ambassador Moctezuma and advocated for Vulcan in its dispute with Mexico. The delegation then announced that the Mexican military had left the Vulcan Materials Company’s port facility in Mexico and Mexican law enforcement had left the facility.
“Alabama is proud to be home to the world-renowned Vulcan Materials Company. Vulcan has provided good-paying jobs to thousands of Americans since its founding more than 100 years ago, Vulcan has operated an environmentally award-winning business in Mexico for more than three decades, boosting economic growth in the region,” Sen. Tuberville (R-Auburn) said.
“The Mexican government’s hostility toward Vulcan is unwarranted, and jeopardizes the long-standing bilateral relationship between Mexico and the U.S. I will continue fighting for the prosperity of American businesses, and I hope this situation will be resolved quickly and fairly.”
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
7. The MOMS Act introduced by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) has sparked controversy, with Democrats like Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison misrepresenting the bill’s provisions with false claims suggesting the creation of a pregnancy tracking database and forced registration for pregnant women. What the bill actually does is very simple, it provides resources to pregnant resources including child support from conception and access to pregnancy centers.
6. An Ozark man will foolishly choose jail over saying “sorry” to an officer he told to “get his ass out of the way” because pride is more important than putting this whole stupid thing behind him and he’d rather go to jail for up to 30 days as a father and gainfully employed man. Reginald Burks was prepared to pay the fine but has bristled at a judge’s order to apologize for telling the officer to “get your ass out of the way so I can take my kids to school,” which may or may not warrant an apology, but going to the mat on this seems foolish.
5. There might be a small chance the one of the routes to the United States for illegal immigrants, or bogus asylum seekers, may be closed when the new Panamanian president takes over because he says the country is not a “transit route.” President-elect Jose Raul Mulino pledged to close a significant migration route through Panama that has been utilized by over 500,000 migrants in the past year, marking a policy change for the country which has let illegals stream through on their way to the U.S.
4. A survey of European countries shows regret over the influx of migrants into their countries across the board as a large majority of citizens in various European nations feeling this way with Greece and Cyprus having 90% and 84% of citizens respectively expressing this sentiment. Unsurprisingly, Americans are feeling the same way as the thought of mass deportations being supported by 51% Americans and even 42% of Democrats as immigration is the No. 1 campaign issue in the 2024 elections.
3. Alabama lawmakers passed multiple bills that would help Alabama’s workforce grow because Alabama has one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the nation and nearly half of the state’s working-age population is not employed nor actively seeking employment. Somehow, allowing illegal immigrants to go to Alabama’s 2- and 4-year colleges with in-state tuition was part of this package, something that will not help the workforce one bit.
2. Nick Saban, the University of Alabama, and Auburn University are all very upset with the United Auto Workers (UAW) and are telling them to knock it off when it comes to unauthorized use of their words and trademarks ahead of a vote at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance. They warned the UAW’s use of their trademarks without permission infringes on their intellectual property rights and causes confusion regarding their stance on the issue. Both schools emphasized their commitment to remaining neutral on political matters and demanded that all items depicting their trademarks be given to the schools to ensure they are no longer used.
1. For everyone pretending Alabama is one vote from passing a massive comprehensive gambling bill, Gov. Kay Ivey and Speaker of the House Nathanial Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) are making it clear they are not that close and a special session isn’t coming. Democrats continue to pout about this and claim special interests are screwing up the bill without realizing their special interest supporters in the quasi-legal poorest people-bilking business are one of the reasons a deal can not be met.
Given the leftwing outrage following the introduction of the MOMS Act, it seems like Democrats are worried that Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has pinpointed a winning message for Republicans nationwide heading into November’s election.
The MOMS Act stands for the “More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed Act.” This legislation would provide support to women during pregnancy and beyond, encompassing the prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood development stages. The bill would increase access to financial and healthcare resources and assistance aimed at helping mothers and their children.
Axios summarized that the legislation would provide “various prenatal and postpartum support for women.” United Press International explained that the MOMS Act would “boost resources for mothers” and “access to resources for pregnant women.”
“It also would institute a grant program to purchase medical equipment and technology for pre- and post-natal telehealth to serve rural and otherwise medically underserved areas,” UPI added.
The mainstream press attention on MOMS Act has apparently caused the far-left social media world and their allied blogs to go into overdrive to mischaracterize – and plain lie about – the legislation.
Salon.com, for example, incorrectly claimed the MOMS Act would “launch a pregnancy tracking database.”
The MOMS Act would, in part, create Pregnancy.gov – a federal clearinghouse of resources available to expecting and postpartum moms, as well as those with young children. As delineated in the bill, this clearinghouse would increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, and other relevant public and private resources (including healthcare providers) available to pregnant women, moms, and families within a given zip code and its surrounding areas.
Despite Salon’s salacious claims, a review of the bill text shows that there is no “tracking” involved in this legislation whatsoever, nor is there a database of pregnancies or pregnant women that would be created under the legislation.
In fact, users of Pregnancy.gov would not in any way limited to pregnant women, nor would the disclosure of any personally identifiable information required to use the website or access its database of resources. At no point would information regarding an individual’s pregnancy status even solicited under the provisions of the bill.
Other far-left social media users and blogs have made an additional false claim – that pregnant women would be forced to “register” or would otherwise be added to a “registry” by the government.
Analysis of the bill text shows that no one would have to “register” to view the maternal resources available on Pregnancy.gov., nor would there be any kind of registry created that distinguishes or identifies pregnant women. Through the website, anyone could view the relevant resources in a given locale without disclosing any personally identifiable information to the government. Providing contact information would be voluntary and only if a website user desired personal follow-up outreach from HHS. And, even if a user did opt in for that follow-up contact, there is no requirement that they actually disclose valid personal identifiable information if they do not want to. It’s clear that users could remain totally anonymous throughout the process (both using the website and the optional follow-up) if they desired.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison’s involvement in this propaganda campaign against the MOMS Act indicates this is a concerted partisan effort by the DNC.
“So she creates a database of pregnant women so Trump then knows who to prosecute if any of those women get an abortion,” Harrison falsely said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Yet another example of why this election is fundamental to protecting your liberty & freedoms!”
SBA Pro-Life America shared a to-the-point rebuttal of Harrison’s post.
“These claims are intentionally false and dangerous,” the organization stated.
“Pro-life laws across the board shield women from prosecutions. Moreover – read the bill, it provides a database of help forwomen, not a database of women. Women’s privacy is expressly protected,” SBA outlined. “These claims are nothing but a cynical attempt to distract from the Democrats obsession with abortion and relentless attacks on charities that help women. While Biden created a website to promote the brutality of abortion, @SenKatieBritt offers a more hopeful approach that offers real support for moms and their babies.”
Writing for Townhall.com, Rebecca Downs exposes what the false claims about the MOMS Act are all about – partisan, election year politicking. She calls the legislation a “particularly commonsense pro-life bill” that provides “support for both women and their children.”
Alabama’s Daria Monroe, CEO of Women’s Hope Medical Clinic in Auburn, emphasized her support for the MOMS Act in a written statement.
“In so many cases, we’ve heard women who’ve experienced abortion say the words ‘if only.’ If only I had the money to raise a child. If only I had someone who believed in me. If only I had access to prenatal care,” stated Monroe. “My center works to address this, providing services like pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, prenatal clinics, parenting education programs, diapers, full adoption services and more – all at no cost. We are so thankful for members of Congress like Senator Britt who stand for women and provide solutions at the federal level.”
Senator Britt’s introduction of the MOMS Act is part of a comprehensive roadmap that she has laid out showing how Republicans prove they are indeed the “Party of hardworking parents and families.”
“This legislation is further evidence that you can absolutely be pro-life, pro-woman, and pro-family at the same time,” said Senator Britt in a statement. “The MOMS Act advances a comprehensive culture of life, grows and strengthens families, and ensures moms have the opportunities and resources needed so they and their children can thrive and live their American Dreams.”
In April, Senator Britt during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing questioned HHS Xavier Becerra and exposed how extreme the Biden Administration’s abortion agenda is.
She has also been a champion of bipartisan healthcare legislation that would help vulnerable women, families, and children. Recently, Senator Britt joined Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) in introducing the NIH IMPROVE Act, which would provide consistent support and resources for the NIH to conduct important research into the causes of America’s maternal mortality crisis and to improve health care and outcomes for women before, during, and after pregnancy.
Additionally, Senator Britt joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in introducing the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act, which would expand access to maternal care by offering support for rural health care facilities and doctors to provide urgent obstetric care. Senator Britt also reintroduced the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in September 2023. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would eliminate copays and other out-of-pocket expenses for breast cancer diagnostic tests, making them more accessible and affordable.
Going back to last year, Senator Britt joined a bipartisan group of 59 of her Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Actof 2023. This bill would expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors, especially important in rural areas.
Additionally, she cosponsored two pieces of bipartisan legislation to help all Alabamians access insulin. They include the Affordable Insulin Now Act of 2023, which would cap the price of insulin for all patients, including those who are uninsured, at $35 for a 30-day supply; and the Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act of 2023, which would comprehensively address the skyrocketing costs of insulin, removing barriers to care and making it more accessible for millions more Americans.
Finally, Senator Britt, along with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), introduced the Youth Mental Health Research Act to create a national Youth Mental Health Research Initiative to guide long-term mental health care efforts, better target preventive interventions for those at risk of developing mental health challenges, and improve treatments for children.
These commonsense efforts – and the fact that Senator Britt is a uniquely effective messenger during this election year as the only Republican mom of school-aged children in the U.S. Senate – are why Democrats are pulling out all the stops to undermine her message.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) blasted President Joe Biden for withholding military aid to Israel.
This week, Biden’s administration paused the shipment of 1,800 bombs to small Judeo-Middle Eastern country. The president announced the hold publicly during an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett.
Israel is expected to invade the Gazan city of Rafah within the next few days in an attempt to take out the final refuge of Hamas fighters and leadership.
Britt condemned the administration’s decision Thursday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“It is a betrayal,” Britt said. “We are betraying our greatest ally, the only democracy in the Middle East. The barbaric attacks on October 7th still are seared into my memory…Hamas has said, ‘we’re going to come back again and again and again and again until we eradicate the Jewish people until Israel exists no more.’ Israel is fighting for their very existence. I mean this is their very existence and we should stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
“What we’re seeing from Biden is despicable.”
The senator also blasted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for undermining Israel’s war in Gaza.
“What we saw from Chuck Schumer several weeks ago was beyond disappointing,” she said. “Marching down to the Senate floor, using his platform to say we need a regime change in Israel now. Not one in Iran, not one in Russia, not one in North Korea, not one in China. He used his platform to say we need a regime change in the only democracy in the Middle East. You’re cutting their legs out from under our greatest ally at a time where they are attempting to negotiate or return of hostages.”
Britt also believes the president’s weakness is putting the hostages in more danger.
“There are five Americans and the President of the United States should be using every tool in his toolbox to get them back,” she said. “And, unfortunately, we’re just seeing more weakness, which is what he has as a legacy from the Oval Office during his tenure there.”
She also reminded people just how terrible the Oct. 7 attacks were and why it’s so important for Israel to wipe out Hamas.
“These people are beyond evil,” she said. “They came in and murdered children in front of their parents, burned parents in front of their children, raped women, drug Holocaust survivors out of of their wheelchairs to their desk. I mean, it is despicable and sick.
“A leader in the Israeli government, when we were there about two weeks after October 7, said a lot of people have compared this to 911. And, and they said, ‘you know senator…it is similar to that in many ways, but the difference is when y’all woke up on September 12, you can look at your children and say the enemy is oceans away.’ He said, ‘we have to look at ours and say they are miles down the street and they have said they’re going to continue to come back and ravage our communities until we’re all gone.'”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Senator Katie Britt has delivered a big win for her native Wiregrass. After her intervention, money was not diverted from Fort Novosel, the U.S. Army base in Southeast Alabama formerly known as Fort Rucker.
A rash of social media rumors emerged last week claiming that the Biden Administration’s Department of Defense was pulling $130 million from a flight simulation training program conducted at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Novosel. The social media posts claimed the training program would be halted as soon as May 1, which was last Wednesday.
Amid the speculation, Sen. Britt’s team immediately engaged senior military officials to get to the bottom of the rumors and advocate for Fort Novosel.
“Our office is aware of social media posts that are circulating claims regarding U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence flight training programs at Fort Novosel,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said in a statement last week.”
“We are in touch with senior military officials and received the following comment: ‘At this time no decision has been made and no dollars have been diverted.’ In the recently passed FY24 Defense Appropriations bill, I helped secure $1.38 billion for flight training at Fort Novosel, and I’ll continue to fight for every cent of that money to be spent as congressionally intended.”
Since then, the situation has become less murky due to Sen. Britt’s continued persistence on the issue.
Last Friday, the day after Sen. Britt’s original statement, the Army confirmed to Alabama’s congressional delegation that no money had been taken from Fort Novosel.
No training programs have been disrupted or halted at Fort Novosel, either.
And the best news is this – sources confirm to Yellowhammer News that the Pentagon does not have any existing plans to divert a cent from USAACE.
Now that the FY25 appropriations process is starting to pick up steam, Sen. Britt told Yellowhammer News that she remains committed to ensuring Alabama has the best possible seat at the table.
“I’m proud to support Alabama’s incredible military installations and communities. Our state is truly crucial to our national defense and homeland security, with the exemplary work being done across Alabama ensuring our servicemembers are the best trained, equipped, and resourced in the world,” said Sen. Britt. “I will always fight for every taxpayer dollar appropriated by Congress to be used responsibly, transparently, and accountably.”
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
U.S. Senator Katie Britt is using her platform to speak out against the rise in the antisemitism faced by many Jewish American on college campuses across the country. This week, she took that a step further and backed legislation ensuring American taxpayers will not fund the student loans of those engaging in antisemitic hatred.
“Bigotry has no place on American soil,” Britt told WSFA News 12. “And I hope that this generation will learn from the lessons of history and understand that antisemitism has no place in this nation. We have to stand up now. We have to stand up tall.”
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) May 7, 2024
Illegal encampments protesting Israel’s war against Hamas have popped up on university campuses across the country since the terror attacks of October 7th in Israel.
Britt joined 18 of her colleagues in the Senate in co-sponsoring the “No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act” that would make campus protestors convicted of crimes ineligible to receive certain loan forgiveness.
“American college campuses shouldn’t be daycares,” Britt said in a statement. “When students disrupt campus learning environments by choosing to break the law, they should face real-world consequences. One of these consequences should certainly be that American taxpayers aren’t going to pick up their tab. The No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act is a commonsense bill that would deter further lawlessness on campuses across our nation.”
The legislation was was introduced on May 2 by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
Britt recently reacted to an exchange on the University of Alabama campus where counter-protesters were chanting “USA” in response to a pro-Palestinian protest.
.@KatieBrittforAL: “After hearing those chants of, ‘USA! USA! USA!’, I’ve never been prouder to say ‘Roll Tide’. I’m grateful for the many students who voiced their love for and pride in our country to the world.” #alpoliticshttps://t.co/RUByHt1lKx
7. There has finally been an article written that is asking the question we have all been asking ourselves, “What if a presidential candidate dies?” The answer is “it’s complicated,” but if it is before the party’s conventions the delegates will generally be free to choose who they want but if they die closer to the election, the Democratic National Committee can pick the nominee but the RNC would hold another convention. However, the names on the ballot would remain the original nominees.
6. More than 150 shots were fired outside a business in Birmingham early Sunday, resulting in the death of one man and injuries to six others; two arrests were made after two men were in the act of dumping guns. The chaotic scene unfolded around Shell, Burger King, Auto Zone, and Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers, with multiple vehicles and a nearby business being hit by gunfire according to police who also added, “We know this area is always busy and it is a festive weekend – Cinco de Mayo – and we just think people were out because it was a nice Saturday night and something happened that led to over 150 rounds fired.”
5. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is still planning on moving forward on attempting to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) but House Democratic leaders have indicated they will vote to kill the effort, likely ensuring Johnson’s retention. But that support by Democrats will only escalate the criticism from the right for working with Democrats but U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are calling out Greene’s move as bad for the GOP and former President Donald Trump.
4. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl expressed surprise that the Laken Riley Act, aimed at allowing local law enforcement to collaborate with federal immigration agencies, won’t be voted on before the legislative session’s end. Introduced in response to the abduction and murder of Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant, the bill aims to address concerns about border security and immigration enforcement.
3. While the gambling bill is still languishing in the Alabama State Senate waiting for a vote, State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has made it clear that those opposing the dead after voting for previous gambling bills are not reacting well to heavy-handed attempts to change their minds. Orr suggests that resistance to the gambling bill is stronger than ever among some Republican colleagues, who may be further entrenched in their positions after facing criticism from Gov. Kay Ivey, former President Donald Trump’s kid, and liberal activists in the state.
2. Campus chaos calling for “ceasefire now” ignored the fact that Hamas has never wanted the ceasefire and now they have officially rejected a ceasefire in order to keep the war going. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to resist international pressure to halt the war, while Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering aid to Gaza after a Hamas attack.
1. Alabama U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) are co-sponsoring a bill called “No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act” by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) which would prevent students convicted of crimes related to campus protests from receiving student loan forgiveness. Britt emphasized that students disrupting campus environments should face consequences, stating, “When students disrupt campus learning environments by choosing to break the law, they should face real-world consequences. One of these consequences should certainly be that American taxpayers aren’t going to pick up their tab.”
U.S. Senator Katie Britt marked the 73rd annual National Day of Prayer with a video message and invitation to pray for the nation.
“This is a time to remember and recommit to the foundational values of Faith, family, and freedom that our nation was built on,” Britt (R-Montgomery) said. “Never forget that we can overcome any earthly challenge or obstacle through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Happy National Day of Prayer! Please join me in praying for our nation, today and every day. pic.twitter.com/QmdRaSNaX1
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
The Reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was absolutely vital to our national security. Why then is every bout to renew this essential intelligence capability met with such contention? The answer is coupled in a fundamental misunderstanding how 702 works and concerns about previous abuses of it already no longer possible by policy – and now by law.
The loudest opponents of 702 often parrot talking points referring to FISA as a “warrantless spy tool on Americans”. The scare tactic bakes in – perhaps intentionally – a fundamental misunderstanding of the current 702 process and the incontrovertible value of this national security tool. Others reasonably seek to reform the query processes of the information collected, with greater transparencies and penalties for transgressions. Finally, previous FISA warrant applications have been laden with flimsy information that was not disclosed to the FISA judge. The intrusive abuses of Crossfire Hurricane immediately come to mind.These concerns are conceptually worthy of responsible discussion. However, these concerns are not worthy of discarding 702!
Proponents of 702, many of whom acknowledge the reasonable concerns, fundamentally balance in favor of Section 702’s vitality to national security. Moreover, proponents recognize this point in history requires our intelligence community (IC) have the ability to deploy robust tools to protect the homeland from foreign terrorist organizations and nefarious nation state actors. In this latest round of reauthorization, which was a slugfest, the proponents crafted a reauthorization bill including 56 key reforms that increased penalties and installed supervisory processes to abate some of the aforementioned concerns, and on April 20th President Biden extended FISA 702 with these new reforms included for two more years.
To better grasp the contentiousness of 702, it is critical to understand how basic FISA surveillance is deployed. As the namesake suggests, the initial targets of FISA surveillance are always foreign persons abroad. This capability does not draw serious objections at all. However, should a U.S. person communicate with a surveilled foreign person, those communications are captured and kept by the IC as well, even if entirely innocuous or mundane. After all, “communication” typically involves more than one person. For instance, imagine a member of Hamas under 702 surveillance contacts a U.S person, and that U.S person indicates a willingness to support Hamas. The “incidental collection” of the U.S. person’s communications can serve as actionable intelligence, but if the feds wanted to conduct electronic surveillance of that U.S. person they would have to apply for and obtain a separate probable cause-based order under FISA from a FISA judge to do so. It’s my experience that obtaining such a warrant is an incredibly high bar, held to a much higher standard of probable cause. The information gathered from the incidental collection could be used to build that probable cause. Moreover, if specific information about a terrorist attack were gathered regarding location or potential victims, the FBI could warn those potential victims of the threat. This is the virtue and utility of 702 in a nutshell.
Section 702 opponents root their objections in the retention of the incidental collection of overseas communications by the intelligence community, especially those innocuous communications with U.S. persons. The IC and the FBI maintain the ability to query those incidentally collected communications at any time, or what is aptly referred as a USPER query. The argument is that communications by U.S. persons were collected without a search warrant and thus violates the Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful searches and seizures. The same argument is made for queries of the incidental collection. Some would like to see additional warrant requirements for the query of incidental collections of data and communications. Some would impulsively abandon this capability altogether.
These arguments, while undoubtedly made with best intentions by most of those making them, have serious logical and constitutional flaws with his argument.
First of all, those suggesting the constitutional requirement for a warrant to query data and communications already in the possession of the U.S. government is incredulous. Should future versions of FISA hold such a requirement, then that would be a legal requirement…not a constitutional one. The government has already lawfully seized the information being queried under the original FISA process. The incidental collection of communications involving U.S. persons are already in the government’s possession. It would be a constitutional absurdity to require the U.S. government to get a warrant for data or communications already lawfully seized. In other words, no new information is being “seized” and thus Fourth Amendment protections could not possibly be triggered. To illustrate, would it make sense to have the ATF get a warrant to collect the firearms seized in a drug bust by the DEA? Of course not. And in matters of national security, it seems illogical to erect barriers to obtaining critical information that protects the homeland, especially when time is of the essence.
Abuse of the USPER queries have also been a great point of contention, and not without legitimate concern. An oft cited, yet intentionally misleading, example of “FISA abuse” is the claim by the most vocal opponents of FISA that FISA was used to spy on Americans 278,000 times in 2021 and 2022. In just a portion of 2022 alone, the FBI conducted approximately 120,000 USPER queries. The implication is that over a quarter-million Americans were spied upon by their own government. This, of course, is not true.
It is important to understand that those 278,000 USPER queries were NOT queries of 278,000 Americans, as has often been repeated by too many elected officials and 702 critics. Most USPER queries involve the same person and query multiple identifiers, such as name, email, phone number, business name, address, IP address, and so on. In fact, less than 2% of all USPER queries actually produce a search result. In other words, over 98% of the time a USPER query intrudes upon NO American. It is important to realize that the FBI only has access to around 3% of all of the IC’s total 702 database, so the chances you will be caught up in a matter of international intrigue is infinitesimal. Even those who would mislead the American people have ceded their own vernacular and have begun referring to the 278,000 number as “abuses”, rather than the number of Americans “spied upon”. But the damage to the FBI and 702 had been done, which was likely the point. It even led to absurd calls to “defund the FBI”, which is Chapter 1 in the Book of Bad Ideas.
The latest reauthorization of FISA directly addresses the reasonable concerns of those in opposition. The latest iteration of FISA forces the FBI to disclose the sourcing of information used to support a probable cause affidavit and bans any media reporting from supporting probable cause. This makes the likelihood of another abomination like Crossfire Hurricane to ever occur again, even if someone as incorrigible as Jim Comey were to find their way to the 7th floor of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Moreover, the new FISA creates significant criminal penalties for those who would abuse the FISA warrant or collection processes. Added to the new FISA reauthorization is the requirement that any application to even begin the FISA process must be approved by senior leadership. It also bans political appointees (e.g., FBI Director or Attorney General) from initiating a FISA warrant process. Sorry Jim!
It is important to note that after the revelations concerning USPER queries were brought to light, the FBI Director Chris Wray responsibly installed reforms that mirrored much of what the latest iteration of FISA requires. In fact, some of the internal policies of the Bureau allow the FBI to quickly take personnel actions by those who would abuse the FISA process, something that has been an albatross in prior instances of abuse. FBI personnel not assigned to national security matters no longer have access to raw FISA data. The FBI created the Office of Internal Auditing with full oversight over FISA compliance. Finally, USPER queries require a specific factual basis that a search of 702 data will yield foreign intelligence information or evidence of a crime, all of which must be articulated and approved by FBI lawyers and/or senior leadership PRIOR to the performance of any USPER query. These reforms were so transformative that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court praised the FBI for its compliance reforms. Director Wray has many critics. I am not one. In my opinion, Wray has paid the bar tab for former Director Jim Comey’s transgressions since Comey was fired.
Reasonable minds can disagree as to whether the current version of FISA has gone too far in hamstringing the IC or does not go far enough. Advocates for greater FISA transparency and severe consequences for those who abuse FISA are reasonable and would have liked the recent reauthorization to go a bit further. That is a legitimate debate over 702 and has been healthy for both our national security apparatus and the national debate surrounding the tool. But what I hope we all can agree upon is that our nation does not need fewer tools in the intelligence toolbox, but rather our protective posture needs every agile enhancement imaginable. Wars rage in Ukraine and Israel. China continually threatens military action against Taiwan. Foreign terrorist organizations have reconstituted and pose a resurgent threat to the United States. Foreign cyber-attacks continue to escalate in sophistication and frequency, targeting our nation’s military readiness, critical infrastructure, and economic sectors. Our porous border has been crossed by unknown subjects looking to harm our homeland.
FISA 702 has saved countless lives, prevented countless attacks, and preserved countless freedoms…and it is quite possible you are unaware of all of those instances! The reauthorization process was arduous and contentious, but such was a small price to pay for those who won this bout, because the alternative threat to our national security is just too costly.
Jay Town is the Vice President & General Counsel at Gray Analytics, a defense contractor in Huntsville. He is the former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, career prosecutor, and United States Marine.
After months of gridlock, last week both chambers of Congress passed, and the President signed, a vital national security supplemental package that addresses several pressing foreign policy matters. It is unquestionably reflective of the Alabama values displayed in our state legislature’s recent resolution in expressing “unequivocal support” for Israel. In case there was any doubt, this vote made our voices clear to the nation: Alabama stands with Israel.
A key component of the legislation provides $14.3 billion in military assistance to Israel to ensure the destruction of Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for raping, torturing, and murdering nearly 1,200 Israelis on October 7 and taking hundreds more hostage. Yet it took 200 days of war before Congress took tangible action in support of Jerusalem’s efforts to return her hostages and vanquish Hamas thanks to strange bedfellows who forgot that love is not what you say, it’s what you do.
The fringe-left claiming to love everyone but hating Israel pressured Democrats to micromanage the war with onerous conditions. The fringe-right claiming to love Israel but blocking or voting against aiding the Jewish state during her time of war stymied votes to approve the aid on several occasions, making it more difficult for Israel to defeat the terrorists.
Thankfully, our responsible leaders overcame their efforts and won the day. As the final votes show, the overwhelming majority of Congress in both the House and Senate supported the rational, moral, and conservative policy of defending the primacy of American national security interests and supporting allies, especially when they are engaged in direct conflict with a shared adversary.
Much of Alabama’s support for Israel stems from those of us who believe God’s promises to Abraham remain true. This Biblically based support for Israel serves as a foundation, not the culmination, of our understanding of the Middle East and the world at large.
As such, whether it is politically convenient to acknowledge the modern world’s preeminent fault line, the reality is that Iran, Russia, and China have partnered to aggressively and violently attack the values that underpin Western society. This axis of authoritarianism shares weapons, tactics, and a complete and utter disregard for life.
The unalienable rights that so many take for granted must be defended, but American servicemen and women need not be called upon to fight on every battlefield. Undermining our allies’ advances serves no one, including and especially tomorrow’s American warfighters. And now that the Squad and their accidental allies on the fringe-right lost this fight, they are complaining, loudly. They should be ignored.
A vote in favor of the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act was a vote in support of America’s safety at home and interests abroad. Conversely, every vote against this bill was celebrated in Tehran, Moscow and Beijing. This begs the question: Exactly who is being served by efforts to undermine America’s longstanding alliances, including the sacrosanct U.S.-Israel relationship?
As for me and my house, which is 250,000 strong in Alabama, we will serve the Lord; we will stand with Israel.
Ari Morgenstern, a Baldwin County resident, is the Senior Director of Policy and Communications for Christians United for Israel.
Alabama’s second congressional district election is once again gaining national attention.
In a recent report, Reuters highlighted the contest as one of eleven House races to watch.
The district was redrawn last year after a three-judge panel made its selection from maps proposed by an appointed Special Master. This came after a ruling stating that the maps authorized by the Alabama Legislature did not meet the standards of the Voting Rights Act.
“Shomari Figures, a Democratic former Justice Department official, and first-time candidate Caroleene Dobson, a Republican, emerged from an April 16 runoff primary,” said the report. “The district was created after a federal court ordered Alabama to implement a congressional map that created a second largely Black district. That decision is expected to give Democrats a rare opportunity to gain a seat in the conservative Southern state.”
District 2 will now have a 48.7% Black voting age population, causing many to believe that a Democrat will most likely win that congressional seat.
Caroleene Dobson was able to gain the Republican nomination after defeating former State Sen. Dick Brewbaker (R-Pike Road), while Shomari Figures was able to gain the Democratic nomination after defeating State Rep. Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville).
According to a poll conducted earlier this month, Figures had a slight edge with 45% of the vote to Dobson’s 44%, with 10% undecided.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Senator Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) has signed on as a cosponsor of the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.1149), or RAWA. The legislation would make funds available for the management of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need as determined by state fish and wildlife agencies.
“Alabama is blessed with an abundance of wildlife and natural resources, and I will continue to support the preservation of our land and waterways for sportsmen and Alabama families to enjoy for generations to come,” said Senator Britt. “This bipartisan legislation will help ensure our great state remains Alabama the Beautiful long into the future.”
RAWA would be the most significant investment in wildlife conservation in decades and provide nearly $1.4 billion to fund local and state efforts to conserve the one-third of wildlife species in the U.S. currently at risk of becoming threatened or endangered. The bill is also expected to save taxpayer money by allowing states to implement proactive solutions to conserve those species and their habitats.
“Many of America’s most iconic game species were pressured to near extinction due to unregulated harvests a century ago,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural resources (ADCNR). “Thanks to state and federal conservation efforts, we are blessed today with an abundance of native fish and wildlife throughout the country. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will modernize the way conservation is funded in the United States and strengthen conservation efforts for nongame species as well. The broad public support for RAWA speaks to just how important it is to Americans to conserve our native fish, wildlife and habitats, while also providing access to outdoor recreation opportunities like bird and wildlife watching. Passage of this bill will be a win-win for everyone. We thank Senator Britt for her support of this important legislation.”
(Gopher tortoise photo by Billy Pope, ADCNR)
If passed, ADCNR would receive approximately $25 million annually to implement its state wildlife action plan. The plan identifies 366 Species of greatest conservation need, including bald and golden eagles, a variety of bat species, Alabama sturgeon, black bear, Eastern indigo snake and gopher tortoise.
Additionally, the legislation is projected to boost Alabama’s outdoor recreation economy, which depends on healthy fish and wildlife populations. It would ensure more wildlife viewing opportunities and directly contribute to millions of jobs and billions in annual consumer spending nationally. With the passage of RAWA, Alabama could implement these projects immediately.
A similar version of the bill passed out of committee during the 117th Congress but never received a Senate floor vote, despite having strong bipartisan support. Senator Britt joins nine of her Republican colleagues in the Senate and nine Democrats and Independents in support of the current legislation.
Since its initial introduction in Congress, RAWA has received broad public support including from the Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife, whose goal is to modernize the funding model for critically needed fish and wildlife conservation. The Alliance represents a national coalition united in support of this legislation including the energy and automotive industries, private landowners, tribal nations, educational institutions, outdoor recreation and conservation organizations, and state and federal fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about Alabama’s state wildlife action plan, visit the nongame wildlife section of www.outdooralabama.com.
ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Learn more at www.outdooralabama.com.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) is fighting to protect Jewish students against anti-Semitism on college campuses.
President Biden has made it clear—
He’d rather appease radicals on the far-left than forcefully and unequivocally stand against antisemitic harassment and open calls for violence against Jews. https://t.co/PjO2m4U1UO
Britt joined Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and 24 of their Senate Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling on them to shut down the riots currently taking place on several major universities across the country.
“You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments,” wrote the Senators. “Rioting violates federal law. Violence or attempted violence against anyone because of their Jewish heritage violates federal law. School administrators’ failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination or harassment violates federal law and is grounds for those schools losing access to federal funds. Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation.”
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.Dak.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.Dak.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebr.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-S.Dak.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also cosigned the letter.
Britt also introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws.
“Now more than ever, we must send a resounding message that antisemitism has no place in America. Make no mistake – ‘Never Again’ is now, and not just overseas,” Britt said. “Whether it’s on college campuses or the streets of our nation’s largest cities, there is a disturbing amount of people unable or unwilling to distinguish good from evil. Meanwhile, extremists chant ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel,’ and even explicitly pro-Hamas refrains and open calls for the eradication of the Jewish people.”
The senator said those immigrants who support terrorist groups should be sent back to their country of origin.
“Let me be crystal clear – any non-citizen on U.S. soil who supports Hamas should be immediately deported, and any American educational institution authorizing, facilitating, or otherwise supporting pro-terrorism activities should lose every cent of federal funding and subsidization,” she said. “I am proud to stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Alabama, across our country, and abroad.”
The Antisemitism Awareness Act is also cosponsored by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebr.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
7. More election charges, as another day of legal issues for former President Donald Trump takes place in a courtroom in New York City and in Washington, D.C., in this instance Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator as 11 individuals in Arizona facing charges related to submitting false elector certificates. The charges are linked to an alleged scheme in which fake electors purportedly cast votes for Donald Trump, but it is far more complicated than that. They are people who offered an alternate slate of electors if the state’s votes were overturned and this is more lawfare.
6. People are very happy with Gov. Kay Ivey and she has been ranked as the fifth most-popular governor in the nation, with a 64% approval rating and 30% offering an unfavorable opinion. Four of the top 5 popular governors are Republicans with Democrat Andy Beshear of Kentucky finishing fourth and the least popular governor in the nation is Oregon Democrat Tim Kotek.
5. Abortion views have changed, with a Quinnipiac University poll showing 66% of Americans now supporting legal abortion in some or all cases, the highest level of support ever recorded by the poll’s two-decade history, giving Democrats rocket fuel to continue obsessing over this issue. To further drive this point home, Arizona has now changed course and repealed the 1864 law banning all abortions and trying to revert to a reasonable 15-week ban.
4. The Alabama House Judiciary Committee has moved a bill that would charge parents with a crime if a kid brings an unsecured firearm to school and requires the parent to “store a firearm in his or her possession or under his or her control in a manner that reasonably secures the firearm from unauthorized or unlawful access by a minor.” Strangely, the proposed crime would be a Class A misdemeanor and securing the gun could mean trigger locks or locking them in locked boxes or gun safes that require a key, combination, or fingerprint to open
3. The Laken Riley Act has moved out of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee and would allow/require local officials to work with the federal government and keep track of illegal immigrants committing crimes in Alabama; it does not allow for targeting of individuals who aren’t accused of committing crimes. The namesake of the bill was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, who, according to police, abducted her while she was jogging on the UGA campus.
2. Alabama’s U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), are explaining their positions on $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Britt voted for an “imperfect bill” that she says was needed to keep America safe while Tuberville did not vote. But, on the Senate floor said, “The war in Ukraine is at a stalemate. Pouring MORE MONEY into Ukraine’s coffers will only prolong the conflict and lead to more loss of life.” Some good news for Alabama comes from the passage of the bill – missiles from Alabama are going to Ukraine, a fact highlighted by President Joe Biden himself when he noted “Javelins made in Alabama” will be used to restock our stockpile after we ship it to Ukraine.
1. College protests spread from Columbia to Texas. They want Palestine to be free but while most colleges cave to these clowns, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes a different tack by calling for the mob to be expelled, and even USC in California has cops taking batons to the mob. Auburn’s head basketball coach Bruce Pearl is calling all of this out and summarizing it better than most politicians: “Once again, please take these people at their word: ‘We will seize our universities and force the administration to divest, for the people of Gaza!’ Hamas and the people of Gaza attacked Israel, murdered 1,200 and still hold hundreds of innocent hostage.”
7. The Flora-Bama is a world famous location for partying on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, one of the things they are known for is the “Mullet Toss,” a tradition involves throwing fish and PETA is not happy. Because People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are terrible, PETA has concerns about the environmental impact and the message it sends about respecting marine life, so they want them to throw fake fish and then have a vegan lunch.
6. Reportedly, a substitute teacher in St. Clair County told students there are 48 genders, but that is disputed with the school system saying, “there has been a misunderstanding” but refusing to go in to detail. Either way, the Legislature is about to say, that’s enough of this garbage, and the Alabama State House is prepared to debate a bill would prohibit instruction of gender identity or sexual orientation in public K-12 schools. Lawmakers plan an amendment that says Space Camp and any entity receiving Education Trust Fund money will be covered by this.
5. President Joe Biden keeps playing games with our energy in order to play politics on or near “Earth Day” by declaring they will block oil and gas drilling across millions of acres in an Alaskan reserve, according to U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover). Palmer slammed Biden, tweeting on X, “Biden’s policies are causing energy costs to rise and for our nation to be dependent on other countries for resources we have here at home.”
4. Coming off a big win at a Volkswagen plan in Chattanooga, Tenn., United Auto Workers union leader Shawn Fain is ramping up his play for unionization a Mercedes plant in Vance, Ala. Fain singled out Gov. Kay Ivey and others, saying, they “are showing that they’re just puppets for corporate America, and they don’t give a damn about working-class people. They don’t care about the workers being left behind even though the workers are the ones who elect them.”
3. When President Joe Biden entered the 2020 presidential race, he lied and claimed he did so because he was outraged by former President Donald Trump declaring that white supremacists were “very fine people” based on a lie repeated, and still repeated by the media and their Democrats, about President Donald Trump. Yesterday, President Joe Biden actually declared that anti-Semites on college campuses have a good point after being asked asked about anti-Semitic protests on college campuses, “I condemn the anti-Semitic protests. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
2. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) has the right answer when it comes to dealing with these anti-Semitic losers on college campuses out, especially those who are here on student visas, put them out. She says we should, “[d]eport any non-citizen in the U.S. who supports Hamas” and “[d]efund any educational institution that authorizes, facilitates, or otherwise supports these pro-terrorist activities.” She is not wrong.
1. The Trump trial lurches on, and it’s only been one day. Prosecutors allege “criminal conspiracy and cover-up” but defense says “nah” and declared former President Donald Trump had nothing to do with the 34 records he is accused of falsifying. The defense noted there is nothing illegal about trying to influence an election, signing non-disclosure agreements, or even trying to minimize negative stories during an election.
7. A new ridiculous poll of Americans asked who they thought would do better between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump at a series of ridiculous contests, including a hot dog eating contest, Monopoly, and an episode of “Family Feud.” The answer is obviously Trump and Americans overwhelmingly agree.
6. A new ad by Democrats says that “Trump Republicans” want to punish “Alabama women” who leave the state for abortions in a new absurd ad that will probably be effective in scaring stupid people, morons will love it. Find someone that loves you as much as Democrats love abortion.
5. Last week U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) said it, former President Donald Trump has said it, and this week U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) agrees, Democrats are for abortion until birth (with some are OK with it after birth). Aldotcom and Democrats will insist that this is not the case, but when asked about this directly, Democrats can not answer the question because they know once they do their entire game on this issue is up.
4. A big win for the United Auto Workers union in Chattanooga, and a big blow for those looking to blunt the union’s momentum in the South, as the workers at a Volkswagen facility vote overwhelmingly to join the union. 2,628 workers (73%) voted to join the union and, in Alabama, workers at a Mercedes plant in Vance will get a chance to vote to join the union from May 13-17.
3. Gambling is in trouble in Alabama with very little chance of the Alabama Legislature’s conference committee coming up with a bill that is not terrible enough to get passed by both legislative chambers. State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said a bill has a 20-30% chance of passing: “It’s not us versus them, and we have to win. The idea is if we’re going to expand casino gambling and sports betting, that loses five, six, seven votes in the Senate, and you’re nowhere close the 21 votes that you have to have to pass the package.”
2. Former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial starts today in New York City after jury selection, and the removal of one the most likely pro-Trump jurors from the case, in a case that was passed on by both federal and local prosecutors. Opening statements are set for today, the first witness will be David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer. And now-disgraced media darling, suspected 2024 presidential nominee, “creepy porn lawyer,” Michael Avenatti announced he is talking to the Trump defense team AND saying there is no case here.
1. Big spending for Ukraine, and other countries, has been approved by the Republican-led majority in Congress, and some members of the U.S. House of Representative were waving Ukrainian flags on the floor of the House. Alabama’s delegation was split on the matter with Republican Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) and Mike Rogers (R-Saks) joining Democrat Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), and the majority of Democrats, in voting for the spending bills.
