U.S. Senator Katie Britt joins the Katie Miller Podcast to detail her journey from Enterprise, Alabama, to the Senate, highlighting her 66-out-of-67 county victory despite age skepticism. She discusses legislative wins like the Lake and Riley Act, the isolation of D.C. life, and traditions such as weekly home-state food lunches featuring Alabama barbecue. Britt shares personal insights on parenting teens in the digital age, her preference for Auburn football over Alabama, and her commitment to delivering results for constituents while navigating Senate gridlock and seniority constraints. [Automatically generated summary]
See, I think most people probably don't know that then like everything we do is based on seniority.
So you actually get seniority two different ways.
And I landed on the bottom in both for Republican seniority.
It goes the same way.
And that like last group draws straws.
And I drew this short draw.
So I literally literally landed last.
Wait, you actually draw straws?
Yeah.
Is there like a date and time that John Thune sets or who's at the date?
They do it differently.
So I was 100 out of 100.
I joked like there's nowhere to go but up.
like nowhere to go but up.
Hi, welcome to the Katie Miller Podcast.
I'm here in Montgomery, Alabama, joined by U.S. Senator Katie Britt.
It is so nice to have you in Alabama.
And how was the weather?
I mean, it's warm here.
Warm.
Everyone has been so gracious and so kind.
Good.
That's what we love, Southern hospitality all the way through.
So we're here in your house?
Yes.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you grew up, and how you became a U.S. Senator?
Geez, that's a really loaded question.
I'll kind of sort of give you highlights and then where you want to dig in, then let's go dig.
So I am born and raised in Enterprise, Alabama, and it is in the corner of Alabama near the corner of like Georgia and Florida.
It's in a place we call the Wiregrass and I am really proud to be from there.
And I think it is because of the values I was taught.
It's because of the people that are there and my family and just those core memories that you have growing up.
So born and raised there, graduated from Enterprise High School and then went on to University of Alabama.
And then from there, like kind of goes back and forth and moved to DC and certainly can talk a little bit about that.
Kind of got my feet wet as an intern through a class credit.
Went back there and then kind of came back and forth, back and forth.
Ultimately coming back working for the president of the university, then got married, moved to New England, where I joked that my crowning achievement was being a member of the Patriots Wives Club.
So that's like a whole nother thing.
Then came back to Alabama and tried to kind of sort of figure out a pathway forward.
We had essentially found myself in law school with a newborn and an 11-month-old.
So like on the scale of bad ideas, Katie, that went absolutely takes the cake.
Practiced law a little bit and really enjoyed that.
We moved around for my husband's job, then took a leave of absence to run a campaign, Senator Shelby's primary campaign.
Then ultimately went back and was his chief of staff, then came back here and was president and CEO of the Business Council.
And then ultimately decided to run for the U.S. Senate, which is kind of a loaded question, but that's a highlight.
We're going to dig in.
Don't worry.
We're just doing your 30-second overview here.
All we went, but I truly, I'm so proud of where I'm from.
And I think it's just, it's a special place.
But so as I've learned is I've traveled the state both in the campaign and as a U.S. Senator, every place in Alabama.
And I'm grateful to my parents, both small business owners, that taught me the value of hard work, that taught me to keep my eyes on the Lord.
And, you know, that faith and family and freedom should all be paramount.
So you went to the University of Alabama?
Yes, you met your husband there.
Yes, I did.
He was actually, listen to this, first person I met.
Okay, so my mom, super tough love.
My sister's friends call her stone cold.
Okay.
And so, and now she goes by ya.
It's just like one word like share, yeah, yeah.
But my mom made me go to the university by myself for orientation and to move in.
And so she said.
Did you go to Target by yourself in July?
Yeah, she said, if you, now my dad said, no, let's go with her.
My mom said, if she cannot handle this, she has no business going to, and I wanted to, like, I wanted to do the honors college and I wanted to do this blunt undergraduate initiative program.
And I, you know, really wanted to do a sorority.
And she said, she's got to show us she can do all of these things.
And so she sent me by myself and I was terrified, right?
Because most of the people where I'm from went to school at Auburn.
So I'm at orientation by myself.
And the very first person I met, I was so excited to see a friend, Matthew Sanders, who also played football.
And he said hello and introduced me immediately to Wesley.
And he said, I want you to meet my friend.
This is Wesley Britt.
So Wesley was the first person I met at the University of Alabama.
Then I ended up going to sign up for classes and they let the honors kids and the athletes sign up first.
I won't tell you which ones have priority.
No, but they let us sign up first.
And as I'm walking out of that, sure enough, somebody walks up.
It was Justin Smiley, one of Wesley's teammates.
And he said, hey, you know, do you mind giving us a ride home?
Waiting on my friend.
And, you know, in hindsight, it was not the best idea to tell him, yeah, sure, I'll give you a ride home.
I mean, I don't know who this guy is.
He's like six five or something.
I'm sure he'll correct me.
It's probably bigger than that.
And sure enough, the person to walk out was Wesley.
And I said, I actually have just met him.
And of course, he was giving me all of Wesley's stats.
So when did you start dating?
So we did not date.
I mean, I then went to my first class and Wesley was in my first class too.
We were best friends for four, all, all four years of college.
Okay.
We went to lunch together every Friday, but we never dated for seven years.
So we did.
Does he say now that he wanted you the entire time?
You know, he says when you ask him that, he says that he is glad that did not happen because he was not mature enough to be in a relationship at that time.
But, you know, when you're best friends with someone like that, you learn everything about them, which obviously we knew that it would go one way or the other if we ever dated.
And I never wanted to lose my best friend.
But ultimately, when we started dating, we dated for goodness.
Let's see.
We started dating in February, March, April, May, and got engaged in June four months later.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
So he was playing football at the university.
Yes.
And you were in a sorority?
Yes.
I would be remiss if we did not get into sorority life at the University of Alabama.
Well, isn't that something?
Especially right now.
So you were a Caio?
I was.
Can you do any of the cheers when you walk in the door?
Do you remember any of them?
And listen, I just saw a reel of all of the door songs.
And look, I feel like this is one area.
Now, some of the dance moves that they have now may be superior to ours, but the door song, I think we crushed them, all of them, all the way across to you.
Can you sing me yourself?
Well, it's We're Caio, we're the best you know.
We're Caio.
Is it the same one?
Yes, it's the same one.
With the same clap, like the same class.
The same clap, but I saw that we had some thumbs out and we were real big about, you know, thumb.
And we also like dropped to the ground.
So we filled up the entire floor.
So you, if you were on the front row, you went straight to your knees and then middle and you filled up the door.
So were you in the basement, girl?
Were you growing?
Where were you in the sorority?
I was the rest chair.
So which now I think they call like recruitment chair or something like a little more fancy.
But yeah, I was the rest chair.
I was assistant rest chair the year before.
So how'd you do it without social media?
You know, it was probably better.
I mean, you got, you know, you had people's resumes that came in, their picture.
They, you had the recs really meant something.
And so for Caio, you know, you needed someone within your community to write one.
And then if there wasn't someone available, then you could kind of reach outside of that.
People could write letters.
So you really had to dig in.
We had an incredible rush advisor and she would, I mean, she knew everything about every girl and she still does to this day, I promise you.
She was, she was awesome.
But we did that.
And so they would put it up on a slideshow.
Like you probably don't even remember this.
I was an astority.
Oh, you were?
I was an astority.
What's the matter?
We had slideshows.
I was in AOPI.
Oh my gosh.
Well, did you have?
At the University of Florida.
So we did sorority recruitment.
Did you do door songs too?
We didn't do door songs, but there was definitely like on prefs night, there was songs.
And then our like, our pledge class had a song that to this day, when the song comes on, I will sing that version instead of the current version.
Me too, celebrate Cayo.
Celebrate Cayo.
Come on.
Every time.
I'm not good enough to sing that for you.
Yeah, no, I want to hit, what was yours?
You have just a bunch?
Yeah, there's a bunch.
But we were the pandas.
I had a pandas.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, it was really kind of sort of fun to watch this come about.
And obviously the media focuses and the world focuses on the recruitment process.
And obviously it was very different than, you know, us looking through these, trying to get to know them.
And I guess now they're getting a chance to get to know them via social media and other things.
So could you rank the chapters at the University of Alabama?
That's the one thing, by the way, when you go through like TikTok and Instagram videos, or then you go on Reddit and you're like, please rank me the sororities if you like really into recruitment, even though I'm currently not pledging.
Well, nor am I going to the University of Alabama.
But like, I'd be curious what he would say is a definitive ranking of sororities at the University of Alabama.
Well, that would get myself into real trouble if I answered that question.
And since I wrote a lot of people.
So there's old row, new row, what do you got?
All of the things that would get me in a lot of trouble.
I would say, though, it's interesting because I think that everybody kind of finds their path.
And now when you go to the University of Alabama or wherever, every house is so intense, like so, you know, big and there's so much to offer.
And I think every house has a different personality.
And so I think everybody's top five would actually be different depending on what they're looking for and what they want to do.
But with Cayo, we came in and I think our pledge class really had an opportunity to kind of sort of transform the house.
Sisters in this other day, they were all Caios.
So I had one sister that was Caio at Ole Miss and then two more at Alabama.
So we're all there.
Yeah.
So one of the knocks on sororities is that watching one of these like University of Alabama documentaries, and I'm sure I saw the clip on TikTok, but it was talking about how Greek life ends up running the government.
And that's how you get internships on Capitol Hill is this Alabama machine.
You would epitomize that here, being a sorority recruitment chair, Caio.
And now here you are at the U.S. Center for Alabama.
Yeah, actually, I was the president of Cayo too.
And I tell people often, so I was president of Cayo the same year I was president of the SGA, which you don't like, you choose to run for SGA, but in Cayo, you know, the woman doesn't seek the office.
The office seeks the woman is how that works.
And when I ended up there too, I tell people often that it was actually harder to be the president of Cayo than it was to be that of the university and the SGA.
And I think that's because you end up having to kind of create spaces where you're enforcing morals and that type of thing.
But with regards to the University of Alabama, it is a real world experience on how to do it.
Would you say that there's a machine that helped you become U.S. Senator from president of Caio to what I would say is that I worked really hard and I defied a lot of odds.
I came into that with my mom not having the opportunity to go to college, needing to stay home and work and help with her family.
There was a lot of stuff I didn't know.
And there were also a lot of ceilings that I placed on myself.
And so I have found Katie, like I never thought that I could be SGA president in Alabama.
If you had asked me what was I going to do at Alabama, I would have said I wanted to be a cheerleader, which I didn't make, by the way.
And I was going to say like sorority girl, NFL, husband.
I would have said, I also would have said I wanted to be a capstone woman, which I was an alternate.
There were so many things that I tried to be a part of at Alabama because I wanted to be a part of the community.
I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, but like they didn't work out.
I mean, it was literally failure after failure after failure.
And if it weren't for those failures and me being kind of sort of honest about them, I would have never found my pathway into SGA.
And even when I got into SGA, I ran for vice president of student affairs.
And after the first debate, a friend of mine came up to me and he said, Gosh, you're really good up there.
And I was like, thank you so much.
You know, I'm kind of sort of having a moment here.
I'm like, thank you.
And he said, it's too bad you won't go any further.
And I said, where's that person now?
Wait, I said, wait a second, hold on.
Wait, it's too bad I won't go any further.
I thought you just said I was really good, right?
And he said, yeah, no, I meant, you know, it's just too bad you won't go any further.
I'm like, wait, why won't I go any further?
And he said, well, because you're a girl.
And it was that moment that I thought, you know what?
I am going to run for SGA president.
And you can either be with me or you're going to have to beat me.
But I am going to show people what's possible.
And I have found the world places limitations on us, but it's the ones we place on ourselves that do the most damage.
And so got in there and worked really hard and built a coalition.
And I think obviously those life experiences prepare you for the next one, but it's certainly something for sure.
So where were you when your husband was drafted?
Oh gosh.
Okay.
So he, see, I, we wouldn't, we were just best friends.
So I wasn't even there.
Yeah, but he was, I think, at his house in Coleman and then obviously went to, was drafted to San Diego.
And that was when the Chargers were out there.
And then ended up with the Patriots.
And at what point did you move to join him?
Yeah, so he and I, he had asked me, they lost the AFC championship game.
And he was like, hey, can I pick you up in, you know, on my drive home in DC?
I was in DC working.
He was like, right home with me.
And then I'll fly you back to DC.
That wouldn't have to go by myself.
And surely there's somebody at home you'd want to see.
But I was actually working in the state at the time, so I couldn't.
But we ultimately ended up the same place that weekend and then started dating shortly thereafter.
And then let's see, that was February, got engaged June 19th, and then got married the next March.
So then moved there afterwards in March.
And it was certainly a culture shock for a number of reasons.
So what would you say is harder?
Being a Patriot wag?
Oh, God.
Or being, or for him, being a Senate spouse.
Oh, that's such both elite clubs.
Right.
That's such a good question.
You know, probably it's unique being one of the few men in that space in the Senate, you know, the Senate spouses club.
And also, we are a little bit of a younger generation than a lot of the people that we have the opportunity to serve with.
So I think that I think he has enjoyed it, but it's so fun because when he is with so many of the women, they, you know, they say we feel like they feel like they have their own personal bodyguard.
And for those of people who don't, who aren't following, he's like six, eight, 300 and something pounds.
I'll throw a picture up now.
Okay, yeah, I'll throw a picture up.
So I think he's, I think he has really enjoyed that.
Elite Clubs and Family Dynamics00:14:46
And for me, though, being in New England, obviously trying to kind of sort of find my way, it was an interesting time for me to, you know, was not working.
What's the biggest culture shock going from Alabama to New England?
You know, probably the weather.
But I actually enjoyed it because I knew that we would never deal with snow down here in the way that we did up there.
So people would get annoyed by it.
But I actually kind of sort of found it fun.
And I would also say football, like SEC football is what rules in Alabama.
It's SEC, SEC, SEC.
And up there, college football is not really a thing.
And things center around professional sports, which we clearly don't have down here.
So it was a fun time.
We were there when the Celtics beat the Lakers in the garden in game seven and won the world championship.
were the Patriots obviously went 17-0.
We lost in the Super Bowl, which was not fun.
But the Sox won in 07 when Wesley was there in the World Series.
It was a really, I mean, it was a fun time to be a part of that.
And I think also the history just of our country that runs directly through New England, we really tried to experience that, which was fun too.
But I think I learned too a lot from the different spouses and the different players.
It taught me that you see people in the media and you assume that what you've read is either accurate or you've created this space of like who you think they are.
But when you get to know them and get to know them as a person and where they came from and what drives them, you know, I think you learn to be a little bit more broader in your perspective about how you approach people.
So that was great for you.
Fast forwarded a little bit, but I want to rewind to the part where you're a lawyer.
Yeah.
And so you finished going to law school at the University of Alabama and then you moved to DC for work.
Yeah, so I, like I said, had two babies in law school.
And you can imagine with your, with your children as well, I mean, that was like if you get sick, then you're taking them to class with you.
I mean, it's just a constant juggle.
I look back and wonder how I actually did that, if that makes sense.
And Wesley was getting his MBA as well.
But then I practiced law in Birmingham and did that general corporate work and then practiced law.
We moved.
I was fortunate to be with a firm that not only had multiple locations, both in the state and the region, but across the country.
So you didn't take maternity leave because you were.
I was in, I was in law school.
So that was my first child, I was not, but then the second child, we were 11 and a half months.
Yes.
Yes.
So when I tell you, it was just the whole thing was a blur.
But, you know, the Lord has a plan and all of it.
And we are so blessed for both of them.
But it's funny because when they were growing up, you know, we'd be out celebrating my son's birthday and he would be like, I three, you know, I three.
And then they would ask, you know, okay, they would ask her how old she is because there's two weeks where they're the same.
And they were like, oh, they're confused.
I'm like, no, no, they're not.
They're not.
So yes, that always, that was always so fun.
And it always gave her interesting conversation.
But they're very close as siblings as well.
And I kind of worried, not worried, but I am so, my sisters.
What's their bond like now?
Yeah, their bond is so close.
That's a thing.
Like my sisters and I are so close.
And I was like, oh, I hate that my daughter won't have a sister, that my son won't have a brother.
But as my daughter said the other day, she wouldn't have it any other way.
They are really close.
They look out for each other.
They have each other's back.
And it's fun to watch.
So nice because I'm thinking about having a fourth kid and I'm like, oh, I want to have a girl because my daughter has a sister because I love having a sister.
Yes, do you have sisters?
I have a younger sister, yes.
It's so fun, right?
It's the best thing in the world.
There's nothing like it.
We're four years apart and she's my ride or die.
Yes, that's it.
That's the way I am with my sisters as well.
And it matters and it makes a big difference, particularly as you're dealing with the ups and downs of life, to have someone who will truly stand in there with you.
And I'm fortunate to have that with my sisters.
So when Richard Shelby announced that he was retiring, how soon did you know you wanted to run?
Or did you know beforehand because you were his chief of staff?
Yeah, no.
So look, this kind of sort of goes back to what we were talking about about the University of Alabama and SGA and me thinking that that was something that wasn't possible for me.
That I didn't come from the right place or didn't have the pedigree or whatever it may be.
And that was kind of similar to here.
Like if I told you, you know, that the state of Alabama was going to elect the youngest Republican female ever to the United States Senate, you know, you may do a bit of a double take.
And I am so proud.
Do people do a double take when they like see you and that you're like the youngest female senator?
Yes, they do.
I see.
When someone asks what you do and you're like, I'm a senator, they're like, huh?
Yeah.
You know, and sometimes we just try to ease into that.
So it's not, but it gets a little awkward around the Capitol when they're like, ma'am, you can't go here.
And I'm like, yes, sir, but I, but I, yes, sir, but I can.
And so we're working through that with a number of people.
They're starting to get used to me being there.
But however many times I've been asked for my staff ID, I mean, we could, I could take you to a really nice dinner if I had a dollar for every time I've been asked for my staff ID.
But yeah, so with Shelby, I really did not, I kind of thought maybe somebody would step up that I felt like would fight for our state and our values.
And when that didn't happen, I think it was kind of other people assumed that I would get in.
That certainly wasn't an assumption here.
Because if you think about this, both Wesley and I were going to have to resign from our jobs, which is not in the plan at 38 years old.
I kept thinking about my children.
And that was really the biggest tug on my heart.
you know, being a wife and a mom is the most important thing.
And thinking about missing moments in my kids' lives, it just didn't.
And you've decided to keep raising your children here in Alabama and not move them to D.C. like other senators.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so I think that that's, you know, to each their own on that.
And I think some of that has to do with, you know, family dynamics.
Some of that has to do with age of children.
So when I went and worked for Richard Shelby, my children and my husband, you know, we all went up there, but they were at an age, first and second grade, where the transition actually was much easier.
At this point, you would be moving children in middle school.
Now they're in high school.
It's a different dynamic in their life.
And also I want them to be raised in Alabama and they're surrounded by so many people who love them, whether it's my family, Wesley's family, our friends, neighbors, all of the things, the community.
Yeah.
I mean, it's just, it matters.
And so if I'm not going to be in the stands on a Tuesday night because I'm going to be voting, that's going to be the same whether I'm in DC or whether I'm home.
But here, they are surrounded by a number of people that are cheering for them, that are making sure that they don't miss a beat or making sure that if I'm supposed to be ordering a jersey, a new one, that, hey, Katie, have you ordered this yet?
Like, do this now.
So I think we have, we are really fortunate to be surrounded by so many incredible people.
But I did not think I would actually run.
And especially to, you had a dynamic of a sitting congressman that had been in Congress for 12 years.
He at the time had the president's endorsement.
But ultimately, it was about fighting for my kids.
I want Alabama to be a place that my kids want to raise their kids.
I want people to fight for that opportunity.
I want them to close the gap between the have and have not.
And we thought, you know, look, there's a whole, my children were heavily involved in this decision-making process.
We made, we had many conversations as a family.
And ultimately, my, you know, my daughter, I said to her after a good conversation with my son, where he told me, mom, I want you to run.
I think you have to.
And he told, he came in.
And I don't know if your children are old enough to do this to you yet, but here he is, you know, and he's, you know, about 10 years old.
And he says, mom, can you sit down?
I want to speak with you privately.
And I'm like, oh my gosh.
And he goes through a list, Katie, of I think you have to run.
And here's why.
First, I want people, first, I want people to know how much you love Jesus.
Second, you know, mom, I want them to know what a good mom you are.
Third, I want them to know how hard you work, mom, and nobody works harder.
Then he said, he said, mom, I want them to know where you came from and how that affected your life.
And then, mom, I definitely think they need to know about your passion for small business.
Now, Katie, who needs a political consultant?
I'm 10.
An age platform.
I mean, what, I'm like, he just knew, and so he put so much time and thought and effort into it.
And then still, I worried about my daughter, Katie, because I, you know, want to braid her hair in the morning before she goes to school, which the good Lord has worked that out.
She clearly does not let me do that anymore.
But she ultimately, we were watching something on TV and she said, mom, she said, you got to do this.
You got to run.
And I said, well, sweetie, tell me, like, wait, you know, I don't think you understand.
And without having to tell her all of that, like the polls say that this is improbable, improbable.
Like you've got a sitting congressman at 65%, I mean, 65%.
I'm at two.
You know, this is not like, yes, and we have to present all these things.
And so without telling her that, I just said, baby, it's a really hard thing.
And Katie, she looked back at me and said, well, mama, doesn't God call you to do hard things?
And so Wesley and I knew in that moment we were never guaranteed a result, but we knew without a doubt that the Lord was calling us to be in the arena.
And so against all odds, we stepped in the race.
And at the very end, we ended up winning 66 out of 67 counties in Alabama.
And it has been the honor of a lifetime to be able to fight for my kids and everyone else's and serve the great state of Alabama.
So running for office is not easy.
A lot of people, a lot of people quit before they even get started.
No.
And too, like people, people will discourage you.
I had people telling me, oh, don't do this.
You'll be a sacrificial lamb.
I mean, all kinds of stuff.
What's really humbling?
What was the most humbling part of running?
Was it calling and raising money from everyone you've ever met?
Or was it asking everyone ever you've met for help?
Yeah, I think probably how many people had stepped up from various facets of our life.
So Wesley and I both really were blown away by people, whether it was people that I knew from Girls State, Alabama Girls' State that I had gotten to know over the years or teammates of Wesley's former teammates that he had been.
Are there people that you're surprised that didn't help you when you called them?
Yes, and I have a list of those.
Yeah.
And that is filed away.
And I'm sure you do too, right?
No, but I do think that.
Have any of them called you asking for help now that you're a senator?
Yeah, it's interesting how that works out.
What do you do with those lists?
You know, I try to treat people and I try to, I try to, I, and Wesley and I have talked about this.
We want to treat people how we wish they had treated us.
And so I think when you do that, then you, you can, you can feel good about how you move ahead.
But yes, we were, I mean, there were the outpouring of support, Katie, was unbelievable from every layer of our life.
And without that, without a lot of people doing a lot of things and Lord willing, we wouldn't be sitting here today.
And that's not lost on me or Wesley.
And we're really, really, really grateful for it sincerely.
I've been told that you're super into the Maha movement.
Yes.
Well, because I'm like loving learning all of this stuff.
So what do you do in your own house that is Maha that you've changed?
Yeah, so probably a good bit.
I mean, I feel like I look back, Katie, and I think of like, you know, when I told you like, here I've got this newborn, an 11 and a half month old, and we're like, you know, working through it.
And you start thinking about all the things you didn't know that you were maybe doing or products you were using that you assumed were safe that were not.
I think little things like, you know, thinking that cereal is a treat every now and then to then actually, you know, learning what's in it, which thanks to Food Babe, we now know, which my sisters have been into this a lot even longer than I have.
So two of my sisters are, you know, one's a registered dietitian, the other one is a health coach.
And they've been talking to me about these things for years.
But to feel the groundswell and then, you know, they're the ones who've turned me on to different influencers online, like, look at this and watch this and you need to be.
You have chickens in your backyard.
We do.
We do.
And so that would probably be one of them.
We have fresh eggs, but we never know where the eggs are going to be because as you saw, the chickens are literally free range.
Coming up to the door like the dogs do.
Coming up to the door.
Yes.
And Katie, you can tell everybody, do I live like on land?
I mean, is this like some, are we in a remote location?
We are in a neighborhood.
Yeah, which is chickens in the background.
And these chickens free range.
And so people get on the neighborhood app and tell people like, these chickens are on the loost, you know, and they'll be down the street.
It's like on next door.
Yes, it's on next door.
And we're like, those are ours.
They'll come back.
We're not worried about it.
They'll come back.
But it is kind of fun going through.
I'm going to get the line on Maha.
Are you eating Chick-fil-A?
Are we still doing fast?
We are still, you know, as life, I think you have to show yourself a little bit of grace, both as more of this becomes available and you're able to incorporate the knowledge you learn into your daily life.
But, you know, being a mom, being, you know, trying to kind of raise kids and get stuff, I think you have to show yourself grace, make better decisions in the moment, and then you have to plan to make better decisions in the future.
But, you know, being from the South, Chick-fil-A is a bit of a staple.
So we are, you know, we'll find a way to work through that.
But there are some things between that and ranch dressing, you know, that are going to be a part of it for sure.
So you live in just a normal Alabama community here?
Yes.
Going out to dinner every so often, as I imagine.
How do you handle when someone comes up to you and they recognize you from just being out in public?
How do you, how long does it take you to notice if it's going to be a compliment or an attack in public?
And is it more likely in Alabama, say, versus DC or elsewhere?
Yeah, I would say, you know, I am really blessed.
People have been very gracious.
And even if they have something more challenging to communicate, the majority of them have done that in a way that is thoughtful.
Now, not all of them.
But usually in Alabama, I have been fortunate probably 99 times out of 100.
It has been a very gracious comment and or talking about something that they would need help with or what do they need to do.
And that's definitely part of the job.
But you can kind of tell it'll come if it's going to turn, it turns.
How do you handle an insult?
Raising Responsible Drivers Today00:06:02
You know, I listen and then a lot of times, Katie, they have bad information.
I mean, the things that they are working on.
You get into it.
And are you cognizant that someone's probably recording?
Totally recording.
Someone's always recording, right?
And so sometimes you're like, yes, why don't you get this down?
Do you search for the video afterwards?
And replay this.
Why don't you replay this?
I think we had a moment with a climate activist not too long ago where it was like, yeah, please replay that and replay it again and again.
But many times, yeah, they just don't, they don't have proper information.
And that's like where the media has failed us as a society in general.
Like no longer do they tell us, give us facts and allow us to formulate an opinion.
Everything is so quickly off the cuff.
What is the most salacious headline I can get?
And they're actually not interested in telling a full story.
And as a result, that and people just kind of sort of see from Instagram, TikTok.
Right, right.
But even if they get it from quote mainstream media, it's slanted and inaccurate.
And so many times those dialogues allow you to better inform the person about about the work you're doing.
And look, I'm not naive to think I'm gonna see eye to eye with everyone, but I do think that you can show people respect that you don't agree with.
And I think we have to bring a good bit of that back.
And I try my very best in those kinds of situations to actually do that.
And many times we leave either, you know, agreeing to disagree or there's a whole portion of the argument that they've never heard.
And so sometimes that's really fun to kind of be able to go back and forth with them.
You were crucial in passing legislation to protect kids on social media.
Yes.
How do you handle that in your own family with two teenagers, a 16 and 15 year old?
Look, I mean, part of the reason, you know, that I am so passionate about so many of the different things we do is just, you know, for a long time up until a few months ago, I was the only Republican female with school-aged kids in the entire United States Senate and felt like it was important to step up as a mom and say, guys, like, I know that you think that's how this works, but let me tell you what we're actually dealing with.
Like, I don't have to ask somebody what it's like to raise kids.
I'm saying, like, no, no, no, no.
I'm doing it right now.
They're literally like snapping out changes in jersey color and my child showing up, you know, not knowing which one she's supposed to be in, kind of thing.
So you're able to kind of give them context to what people are actually dealing with.
And I think in our own home, we've tried to be very upfront with the kids.
And so this stuff and their friends, like they know it.
And I do this too with like any school group that comes to DC or I have an opportunity to do it.
Do you scroll TikTok or Instagram?
Do I, what now?
Do you scroll?
No, I would say Instagram.
I have some friends that I follow and I love to kind of sort of see what they are.
But yes, and X.
So Instagram and X.
And on Instagram too, I like to follow like design and things like that that just get me away from life in general.
And then scrolling on X, I think, is important with when I'm looking through it, like what are the topics?
What, you know, what's the news kind of thing?
But for our kids, we try to be really upfront, Katie, and just to say, like, look, here are the challenges that we know now.
And I know you know this, but I think every mom needs to hear it.
Like one in three high school young women last year said she considered death by suicide.
25% of high school young women actually made a plan to take her own life.
And then 13% of high school young women actually attempted death by suicide.
And so when you were looking at those numbers, and if you add in young men, it's 9%.
You're looking at, you know, the parents I've sat across with whose children thought they were buying a Adderall or Laura tab on Snapchat, which is, you know, I mean, you don't want to be doing that either, but they didn't know it was laced with fentanyl and certainly didn't think they were buying anything that would kill them.
And so looking at those things and then Katie's sextortion.
So for, you know, parents my age, we didn't grow up with front-facing cameras.
And so to parent in an age that is very different from the one we grew up in, like both from a bullying perspective and, you know, kind of sort of saying and doing things that are really harmful, mean to other, you know, just kind of that stuff that you do as a kid.
But for us, we used to have to go home.
And if you wanted to talk to someone, you have to call their house and probably go through their parent.
Do you monitor what TV they're watching?
You know, we don't.
Like YouTube TV or anything like that.
You know, Wesley has like all of the little guide, you know, the stuff that he puts on those.
But we try real hard to just be honest with them about it.
And when my daughter turns 16, you know, okay, here we go.
Let's do, let's do one app and let's, you know, figure out, figure out how to do it.
Do they drive at 16 in Alabama?
They do.
Do you get them a car?
They do.
Yes, yes.
So they drive at 16.
And Katie, that was the hardest thing.
So I had taken, I took both of mine at the same time, my son to get his permit and my daughter to get her license.
And so they got them at the same time.
I mean, I'm having like this full mom moment.
We get back here to the house and then my daughter is like, okay, well, we're going to head out, head out.
And so as they pull out of the driveway, I'm like, I follow them to the end of the driveway and then I'm like standing in the street, you know, tears in your eyes because you've got the whole, your whole heart is in one vehicle.
But that is a game changer for sure with her being able to drive and especially with me being back and forth to DC.
What's your rules for them with driving?
Well, now you have Life 360, which we, you know, if they're ever speeding or going, and it tells you all of those things.
So, but our daughter is a really responsible driver and she has to check with us about where she's going.
She stays, obviously, in the city.
And, you know, and we check in with her and she checks in with us.
So she's a great kid.
So is our son.
Very fortunate.
But, you know, make sure that they're trying to, you try to have conversations with them so they're continuing to make responsible decisions.
Fixing Senate Gridlock Rules00:08:17
All right.
We're going to switch to a little bit of a fun segment.
The answer can only be that of a fellow U.S. Senator.
Oh, geez.
Okay.
Okay.
We're going to call this Senate Confidential since with JD we played Cabinet Confidential.
Oh, that's good.
That is good.
I need to like think about who my options are here.
Okay.
Who would you pick to do your grocery shopping?
Oh, my grocery shopping.
Well, if I was trying to.
You know, seed oil, you're being maha.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm trying to think who would be in that lane with me.
If I'm trying to save money, Chuck Grassley, because they're that man, I mean, he is, he will make sure that every dollar goes as far as it can possibly go.
I mean, it is, that is authentic to who he is.
When we have lunch, if you have to pay for the lunch, he'll bring his lunch.
Like he's not, he is not messing around.
So I think, yeah, we'll get Chuck to do it.
And he's agriculture, farmer.
He's just like one of the best humans and he's like an institution of the Senate.
So yeah, let's go.
Who would you draft in the NFL draft?
Ooh, I'm going to go with Mark Wayne because if I don't, I'll have to hear from him on that.
And so we're going to do special teams.
We're going to have him kind of sort of all over the place.
I'm going to go with, and I'm going to go, we can go with Mark Wayne.
Who would you pick to help decode the fine print in a banking bill?
Mike Rounds.
Who would you pick to plan your next vacation?
That's a great question.
I'm going to go with Cynthia Lummis because I want to go to Wyoming and obviously she's going to be able to crush that.
She'll crush that itinerary.
She will crush that itinerary.
Who is most likely to show up with the best Halloween costume?
Oh, gosh, I hate I just used Cynthia for that one because she would crush that too.
The best Halloween costume, Roger Marshall.
I mean, you think about this.
Roger, when it comes time for, you know, the Chiefs to play, Roger will have that Chiefs gear on underneath his suit to make sure he is compliant with the United States Senate, but he is showing pride for the Kansas City Chiefs.
So Roger's not afraid of anything.
I'm going to go with Roger.
Who would you pick as your ultimate trivia night teammate?
Eric Schmidt.
Eric Schmidt.
Eric, Eric, and I, I think that would be a good thing.
We sit by each other in judiciary, so we get to a lot of times discuss things in real time, if you will.
And so I think the two of us would crush it.
All right, last one.
Which Republican could bench press the most weight?
Oh, geez.
Well, now that I've already used Mark Wayne.
Mark Wayne was going to be my answer for that one, but I went early on that.
So why don't we go with, if we did.
There's a lot of fit Republican men these days.
I think there are.
Maybe Tim Sheehy.
Let's go with Tim or Jon Thune.
Let's see, you know, let's, depending on what you're looking for, you could ask them to have a competition at the time.
We could, actually.
We could.
And that would be something interesting for sure.
So switch to your life as a U.S. Senator after that confidential aspect.
Okay.
There's been a lot of reports of senators being not the best to their staff members.
Which senator do you think is best to their staff that you've seen?
Mike Crapo.
You know, Mike, if you look at what he was able to achieve with the reconciliation bill, being the chair of finance and kind of sort of working through so many different things, Mike was even-tempered and thoughtful in every discussion, whether that was with members or with his team.
And it took his team doing a lot of work to get the Senate in the place it needed to be moving forward.
So, you know, and he's another one that I look to on banking issues as well.
But I think Craypo would definitely be.
Kamala Harris had a lot of turnover in her Senate office, if you recall this, right?
A lot of members have had a lot of turnover.
What do you think your staff would say about you as a boss?
You know what?
I would say a couple of things.
One, I have been in their shoes.
So I think sometimes that is a great thing because I know what they're dealing with.
And at other times, I know, like, okay, well, this is how this works.
And so we could move this here.
So I would hope that they would say that I was very upfront in my both expectations and where I think I could improve and where I think we as a team could improve in order to achieve something.
So I never try to hide the ball.
I don't want people to leave saying, you know, what is it that we're trying to work on here?
That I'm always willing to do the work, to put it in, to get us to where we need to do, and that I appreciate them.
I mean, look, as a former staffer myself, I think I have a unique perspective in how hard it is.
What surprises you the most about going from being a staffer to a senator?
How isolating it is.
I think you think of the Hill and you look back on your experiences as a staffer and you kind of remember those like late nights and, you know, oh, and we all went and did this and just kind of that camaraderie that you have, not just within your office, but across the board in the Hill with people that you meet and get to work with.
Do you think it's because you're so much younger than what a lot of the senators are?
That could be part of it.
I think it's probably a couple of things.
I mean, one, when you get in a position like this, or at least for me, you know, all the people that you want to hear from, you know, quote unquote, don't bother you anymore.
And then you're also hearing from a lot of people that, you know, want to make sure that you know about something or need some help or do these kinds of things.
So that kind of shifts a little bit, which is part of the job.
But I also think, yeah, I don't have a natural peer group in the United States Senate.
And that, I've been honest about this.
That was really hard for me, like the first six to eight months of just trying to figure out how do I, I missed my husband and my kids.
And then how do I find my footing and felt like you're more isolated than I think people realize that you are in these roles?
What's been a time recently when you're just talking to someone, they don't know you're a senator, and you've been like, I can actually fix that?
Yeah, that happens more frequently than you would realize, but maybe not because of your earlier question about like, do people know?
But yeah, I had something the other day in an airport when I was sitting talking with someone and they did not know and needed help with an issue for their uncle and then was able to get them connected with somebody in the office.
And, you know, that kind of stuff feels good.
I mean, it is, that's what you're there for is to help people to chart a new and better path.
And I think cement our values and just a common sense approach to government, which we've lost.
So I'm surprisingly difficult to get accomplished when you're like, man, I want to get this done.
And then you're like, I just can't do this.
Even as a U.S. senator.
Yeah, I think it's, look, I mean, there are tons of things where I think, gosh, I got the very first bill across the finish line this year with the Lake and Riley Act and was so proud.
I mean, that was the most significant immigration enforcement legislation we've had in, you know, 30 years.
So, you know, the ability to do big things and particularly so early in my career has really not only been rewarding, but kind of gives you that extra, you know, energy to like, let's keep going.
And then, oh, now I know how to do this.
Let's figure out, you know, how to do that.
But I would say just the process in itself, I mean, the Senate, trying to figure out how we can make the Senate work again is a priority of mine because there is so much about it where the gridlock has occurred, where we have obvious obstruction that's happening, but also where the rules themselves are not built for us to be able to move things through like these nominees that you're seeing in some ways.
Finding Comfort in Political Lanes00:15:24
So how do we make sure that the Senate can meet the needs of today while still preserving the institution as the body that is a little bit more thoughtful in approach and hopefully helps the country come to the right conclusion?
I think most people listening or watching would have no idea that senators have lunch together multiple times a week at a scheduled time, date, and place.
Yes.
And one of those is where a senator brings food from their home state.
I love that you know this.
Oh my goodness.
This is true.
I was a senate staffer.
I love this.
I think all senate staffers know this.
Yes.
But I think most people don't know this.
No, they don't.
I would say that's a surprise.
Most people don't know we have lunch together that many times a week.
So what was the Alabama food you brought?
Yeah.
Well, we did barbecue and then we made sure, you know, we did some macaroni and cheese.
We got all kinds of things.
We did white sauce with the barbecue too, which is like big bobs in Decatur.
It's like what they're known for.
So we've tried, we did some peanut brittle, like we've done all the time.
What Alabama food do you give out in your office?
In my office, peanuts.
Yeah.
So give out peanuts.
And I believe Alabama is the peanut capital of the world.
People in Georgia are going to tell you a little different.
I'm going to stand firm in my comment on that.
But yes, we give out Alabama peanuts.
For most people who don't know that every senator gives out some product from their state in their office.
And we also have Alabama water.
So we've got different bottlers in Alabama and we give those.
All right, so now I'm going to ask you a controversial one.
Okay.
What's the worst Senate lunch you've eaten from a state?
Because I'm sure there's not good ones.
Well, can I tell you one really bad thing?
Because when you started talking about these three, you know, coming, you know, the lunches that we have, sometimes I'm not sure who picks these lunches, right?
So Thursdays is the day you're talking about.
And that's normally always going to be good because it's like you are, you're bringing the best from your state.
Like, I'm going to bring the cornbread.
I'm going to bring it.
Okay, but what's not a good food?
We're going to bring, but, but wait, no, before I get to that, because I'm going to have to think about that for a minute, because really everybody brings their best.
But like during these other lunches, sometimes it's like, sometimes you go in there and you're like, okay, they nailed it today.
This is good.
And, you know, but sometimes you go in there and it looks like your grandmother just cleaned out her fridge.
So I'm like, what in the world does, you know, does collard greens have to do with like sweet and sour chicken or something?
It's like, this does not go together.
But they always have ice cream, right?
They all, and that's for Chuck Grassley.
That is for Chuck Grassley.
And that is one thing too.
Speaking of senators that don't get high marks, he will be real honest about your ice cream.
And I did not have ice cream my first year and he called me out on it.
Like when he got up to speak, and that's another thing you do too.
So you get up and you get up and speak like in the order you came in, which everything else in the Senate is based on seniority, which I don't know if everybody knows that, but it is.
But this, you get up, and Chuck called me out.
So he would probably say that me not having ice cream was a real fault.
And we will, I said, never will happen again.
We will always have ice cream.
And they do.
They do.
Always have ice cream.
Okay.
So then why, which state has the worst food?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I need to get back to you on that.
It's usually always really good.
I mean, seriously, like, I'm not joking because everybody brings up the U.S. Senate that nobody else would know about.
A quirk of the U.S. Senate.
The seniority portion.
Like, so get this.
I landed number 100 out of 100.
Do you have a hideaway then?
I do, but I mean, basically, it's in the roof.
And literally, it's curbed.
But I think most people wouldn't know that.
And that, so you actually get seniority two different ways.
And I landed on the bottom in both.
So you do, if you were, if you came from Congress, you go first and then it's number of years served.
And then second, you do, second, it's like if you were a governor, then you get slotted there.
And then third, for Senate seniority, it's size of state.
So in our class, like it was, you know, Mark Wayne and Ted.
And then, you know, you've got, and Peter Welch, you've got governors, nope, and then kind of what we call the, you know, non or the nobodies, which interestingly, it was like me and JD and Eric Schmidt and John Fedderman.
And that all is size of state.
And so that's how that's done.
So I came in dead last.
And then for Republican seniority, it goes the same way.
And that like last group of, you know, you didn't draw straws and I drew the short straw.
So I literally literally landed last.
Wait, you actually draw straws?
Yeah.
Is there like a date and time that John Thune sets or who set the date?
They do it differently.
And anyway, I wasn't there.
So this is there at the time.
The team went and did it for me and they were like, ma'am, you came in last again.
So I was 100 out of 100.
I joked, like, there's nowhere to go but up.
Like nowhere to go but up.
So I think most people probably don't know that then like everything we do is based on seniority, like even the smallest thing, like where you pick your desk on the floor.
It goes by seniority.
And actually really this year, so last Congress, we had a great row.
It was JD and me and then Bill Haggerty, Kevin Kramer, Marsha Blackburn, and Marco.
And so that was great because Marco is hysterical.
And so when we had late night votes, I mean, you know, we're sitting there all night.
I mean, we would, he would keep it both lively.
What's the most inappropriate joke Marcos told you?
We'll keep this thing going.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I look, Marco is just funny.
I mean, and, and he can deliver a line at just the right time.
Probably one of the most fun things I think with Marco, though, was experiencing his son, you know, making that touchdown in the bowl game.
I mean, everybody was so proud.
You would have thought it was our own child.
We were all sending it around.
Like, did you see him?
Did you see him?
But yeah, he's pretty funny.
He is pretty funny.
So you mentioned this.
DC, you attend a lot of happy hours and a lot of events, especially as a staffer.
And I'm sure as a senator.
Who throws the best party?
Ooh.
Oh, that's a great question.
You know, a lot of senators have kind of owned their lane and they do, like, they have one event that they do every year that you get to go to.
So whether it's like their, you know, Marsha's like birthday party event or whether it's Jon Thune and like all the Midwest stuff or John Barrasso.
John Barasso has a really good, he's like super intentional in the stuff that he does on his.
So I'm going to give it, I'm going to give his event, his event the top billing.
So you go on a lot of TV, do a lot of public speaking, you're frequently photographed.
Who picks out your clothes?
Me.
Me.
And also, though, the team is really good.
Like if we are going to do something like, hey, guys, like, is this, what are we doing here?
They'll be super honest and say, hey, no, you've, you've, you know, you've worn red three times this week.
So how about you change?
Has it always been like that since you announced you're running?
Did you get more self-conscious about what you were wearing and your routine to get out the door?
Yeah, I think that that is like one of the things that, you know, because it seems that they, you always use the worst picture.
You know, they find you with your mouth like half opened and you turn to the side in like an awkward way.
And that's the one they decide to like put up.
But I think you just have to roll with it.
And I think that's, that's part of it is just kind of owning your space and owning your lane.
You know, I have obviously started wearing my sneakers most all the time.
I still do know how to walk in hills.
It was funny the other day.
I put them on to go in somewhere and Wesley goes, I didn't know you could walk in those anymore.
I was like, very funny, very funny.
But obviously for- The Capitol is a big place to be wearing heels to walk to and from.
No, I'm wearing these basically.
Because if you think about this and you know this, and this is something that people don't realize, you're going back and forth.
You've got now, we've actually, we have a 30-minute block to vote, which is great.
Used to, they leave it open however.
For an hour and a half.
So you got to get back and forth.
You've got to get to a hearing room.
You may have a meeting in your office.
So you're constantly going and the ground in the Capitol, as you know from being there, it's, I mean, it is concrete and you're pounding on it all the time.
And so I finally was just like, why am I doing this to myself?
You know, why, why do this every day?
Let's take a more comfortable approach.
And so I think that has taken me a little bit of time to come to that level of confidence of like, you know, yes, every, every, every moment is or every picture is not going to be the one that you love, but you just got to be yourself and own the lane.
How often are you buying new clothes versus are you doing rent the runway?
Like what?
You know what?
I don't do that, but my sister does.
And she was also telling me about a new one that she does.
And so I think I may try to do that because I think that would spice up my wardrobe a little bit so that everyone doesn't have to see the same things in rotation all of the time.
Where are you going shopping here?
Try to try to invest in some like good pieces.
So we have some good local like little boutiques here.
And so when I have an opportunity just to shop local small business, you know, whether it's Splurge Out East or Well Over Canada.
Have you tried buying clothes on Amazon?
You know what?
I have done workout clothes on Amazon and that has worked out well.
But I have not done, my sister, another sister, sent me a link to a little dress that she got this summer and it was fabulous on Amazon.
So maybe I should try that as well.
Maybe.
Maybe, do you do it?
Every so often, yeah.
There's a good like dupe.
Okay.
And do you do Rent the Runway?
I used to.
You did?
And then so you just, now you've like transitioned to something else?
I think you go in waves, right?
Like I think there's times where you're like, I want to get new clothes.
You get a new wardrobe, especially after having kids.
I was like, okay, let's get clothes that fit again.
And then you try Rent the Runway and then you're like, I'm over this and you try something else.
Yes.
But it is very hard and time consuming to buy clothes.
Yeah, it is.
And too, I do think like as women, you know, a lot of people have an opinion about everything we wear and what we do.
So I think you have to just, you have to own the lane that you're in, whatever that is.
And I would say it's easier for men, but I would insult my husband who has a lovely wardrobe of suits.
Well, it's like, you change that tie out, buddy.
Change that tie out.
And it feels good.
It feels good.
Okay.
So we've been playing a game of would you rather with everyone on the podcast.
Okay.
Would you rather not be able to watch Alabama football for 10 years or have Auburn win the Iron Bowl for the next 10 years?
Oh, shoot.
That's really, that's really tough.
First off, I'm going to have to say no.
Jeez, that's like rough.
That's rough.
We need a little bit more balance, Katie.
That's like a, that's very extreme.
Those are very, I mean, can you imagine if Auburn won for 10 years in a row?
I mean, it would be, no Alabama fan would be able to come out of their home.
I mean, it just doesn't, it doesn't work.
And then you get to Tuberville's Fear the Thumb when he beat us six years in a row.
Interestingly, I actually love Auburn and have really enjoyed like getting to be on campus there and especially have enjoyed Auburn basketball too, watching.
Do you get better seats now that you're a senator?
You know what?
It is easier to get in the arena to cheer for your team sometimes.
So that's not that is helpful when you're cheering on your home team.
That's that's good.
But hey, I think it'd be hard to not watch to not watch Alabama football, but I would do that to then allow the Iron Bowl to be fair because I think that otherwise, yeah, people would not be happy with me.
So would you rather have as the middle seat on a 10-hour flight?
Oh, that's awful.
Corey Booker and his views on the U.S. Constitution or Elizabeth Warren and her views on the U.S. banking system?
I'm going to take Corey.
That's what I'm going to take.
The middle seat sounds awful.
Nobody wants to be there and we don't know who's on each side of you.
And see, you forget that I have a real experience with this.
I have been in a middle seat before with my husband on one side laid out on top of me and then someone who was not petite either on the other side.
So I've been there and we're not doing that again.
And then Elizabeth, let her tell someone else about that.
And Corey, I'll take Corey.
Corey, that's what we'll do.
Would you rather have to make fundraising calls every day for the next 365 days?
Gosh, do people know how bad those are?
Or can you set the score for your audience on that?
Chuck Schumer fundraiser.
Oh, God, we're going to fundraise every day before we're going to go support Chuck.
That one is easy.
And I hope that you will lean in with your listeners on how bad that would be to have to do that every day for 365 days.
Look, if I could call people, I mean, I want to talk to them about like what we're doing and also their expertise.
And like, hey, what are you thinking about this?
And what are, are we missing something on that?
But fundraising, that would be a lot.
But I'd do that every day before I went and supported a Schumer event.
Would you rather do a TV hit with bad hair or bad makeup?
Oh, maybe we'll say bad hair because that's already happened to me.
I literally have had to tell, I'm like, guys, can someone not tell me that the like hair is actually just sticking out to the side?
Just comb that down a little bit.
That'd be helpful.
That'd be helpful.
Would you rather have the hiccups every time you give a speech or sneeze every time you shake someone's hand?
Oh, geez.
You know what?
I think we're going to, oh man, that's really bad.
We're talking about, I mean, you can't get through the speech with the hiccups.
I mean, so we're not going to be able to do that.
So we're going to have to say no, because then you're going to be up there trying to drink water and get it to go away.
And then sneezing when you're shaking someone's hand, I guess the word would get out and people wouldn't want to shake your hand anymore after that.
So we'll go with the latter and maybe we can fist fump people.
Maybe that'll be our happy medium.
Would you rather sit through a 12-hour Senate hearing next to Senator Schiff?
Or a 12-hour road trip with your kids asking, are we there yet every five minutes?
Are we there yet?
Every five minutes, right?
Right.
So I sit across, I sit across from him in judiciary hearings.
So I kind of sort of already have that one.
Judiciary hearings.
You already checked that box.
I checked that box.
Judiciary hearings are interesting because particularly in markups, you know, people will talk for an extended period of time.
So you really kind of get a window into both sides, really, but the other side and kind of where they're going with things.
And sometimes you can be in there for quite some time.
We're going to close this one out with an easy one.
Okay.
Would you rather accidentally send a text about someone to that exact person or reply all to the entire Senate by mistake?
Oh, geez.
You know, it depends on the topic because there's some things we need to reply all that everybody need to hear.
Do you know what I mean?
So let's go with let's reply all and let's talk about how we need to actually get things done, how we need to make the body function again and how we all have a role to play.
What do you think's the funniest on email?
On email.
I don't know.
I would say in real life, because we don't do too much email, I mean, you've got, obviously, Marco was just hysterical.
Freshman Bonds and Parking Lots00:04:20
You've got John Kennedy.
It's like, I mean, where does he come up with this stuff, right?
I had to sit by him in a Fox interview and I thought, like, keep a straight face.
Like, I had to keep, you know, I mean, come on, because he was just, he's just so funny.
It's like stand-up comedian.
Ted Cruz is funny.
He is really funny.
Lindsey Graham is funny.
He is quick-witted.
There's, I mean, we've got, we've actually got a more.
Who's the last Democrat you went out to dinner with?
Let's see.
You know, we had our freshman class.
So that's one thing.
Our freshman class is really close.
You know, we've got, if you look at kind of, you know, you asked me earlier, like, how was it?
And kind of, you know, me talking about the experience.
I would say the biggest game changer for me has been my freshman class.
So if you think about who that is, it's Mark Wayne, it's JD, Eric Schmidt, Ted Budd, Pete Ricketts, and myself in our Republican class.
And then if you add on, you know, Peter Welch and John Fetterman and then the people who've kind of come in and out on that space as well.
But our Republican freshman class goes out to dinner once a month.
And that has been incredible.
So we, you know, you can talk about policy and all of that, whoever hosts.
So we take turns hosting and you pick the restaurant.
Everybody kind of has some of their go-to's, some people, like Pete Ricketts is much more willing to kind of try something new.
Like JD took us to a Brazilian steakhouse.
You know, we actually got to go.
He and Usha hosted us at the vice president's residence not too long ago.
You know, I kind of have a couple of my go-tos, but everybody gets to pick their own.
But I would say that though we always, if families in town, spouses, children, whatever, they're always welcome.
So we've gotten to know each other as people and truly have become friends.
And that has been not only just helpful in life and navigating the Senate, but also helping us support each other as we advance different things in the body, so to speak.
So that's been incredible.
But we had LaFonza Butler and we had George Helmy that came in and we had a big dinner where we told them, thanks for your service and kind of celebrated that and had a couple of other Democrats that came in for that.
If you were a tourist coming to DC and everyone comes to Capitol Hill, they walk the halls and you wanted to see a U.S. Senator and you weren't in the Capitol, what restaurant would you go to to most often find a U.S. Senator eating a meal?
So two options.
The monocle, right?
Because it's right there.
And now that we have these 30-minute votes, people that do have a dinner are having to switch a good bit of it to be closer because you've got to get in and get out.
And we're voting so much, which we voted like twice the amount that the House has voted, which is probably never happened.
We should look that up.
I think the most that a United States Senate has ever voted in one year, my understanding is like, you know, 538 times and we voted well over 500 already.
So doing that and having the 30 minutes, I think the monocle, you'll see people come in and out of there.
And then, of course, Capitol Grill is always one that you can see.
You have some, have some regulars that spin in and spin out.
For anyone who doesn't know, the monocle is like literally in a parking lot.
It is absolutely in a parking lot.
Yeah, it is.
Just on its own, just by the Senate parking lot.
That's right.
And then the Capitol Police are right there.
That's it.
There's a lot of celebrities that come to Capitol Hill.
Which one do you most want to meet?
Ooh.
Would you create a Senate hearing just to have one of your like childhood heroes come and testify?
You know, that would be pretty remarkable.
We could do it for America.
Like somebody that they need some more of in their life.
We need to find an issue they're passionate about.
You're like, I will host that Senate hearing.
See where it overlaps and then we need to make it happen.
And then, yeah, absolutely.
We're going to get on that.
We should have your, your people should, who they would like to see most testify.
Your listeners should let you know, get back to me.
We'll see what committee that may be.
Throw up a poll.
Yeah.
Let's see if we can see if we can make it happen.
What fictional show or movie do you think most accurately represents DC and the Hill?
We'll see.
I don't watch.
Thursday Car Moments with Kids00:03:00
I just don't.
I've got to do better.
So hopefully we'll get to do this again one day.
And my assignment from this will be to watch TV and watch more movies and see what I can bring back to the table.
So you spend a lot of hours on a plane every week going back and forth?
Yes.
What are you doing on the plane?
So I have, I've moved to like a digital binder.
So one of the things I used to do was like have a paper one, you know, like where I'm trying to like, hey, give me everything you need me to read and all that kind of stuff.
So you're working, you're not listening to music, reading a book, you're working.
Yeah.
And I do that because, you know, because of the stage of life I'm in.
When I get home, Katie, I want to be completely focused on my children, on my husband, on the family, like, and also then any obligations that I have in the state, you know, and things I need to do.
But, you know, I want to go into my daughter's game and I don't want to be having to, you know, get out early to get something back to the team or miss something for my son because I'm, you know, I'm looking down trying to respond.
So I use that travel time as time, if it's in the car, because I have to, I did.
For someone who doesn't know, what's your weekly routine going to and from Alabama, D.C.?
Yeah, so I would, okay, what we used to do was we would do, before my daughter turned 16, when she turned 16 in April, I would actually miss the flight out of Montgomery so that I could take them to school because I just wanted that eight minutes in the car with them.
And then I would drive to either Birmingham, which is, you know, an hour and a half, depending on traffic, can be a little different, or Atlanta, which is about two hours and a half, depending on traffic, can be a little bit different, to catch a flight to DC.
So I have that drive time and then would be in DC from Monday through Thursday, used to.
No, it's not like that anymore.
Now we are working around the clock or working Fridays, Saturdays, some Sundays.
So through the weekend a good bit.
So that's definitely changed a bit.
But previously we would come home on late Thursday afternoon.
And Wesley has stepped up a lot to feed the kids, do some groceries.
All of that.
So Wesley and then also, my mom takes my shifts on the volleyball.
She does the Libero or Libra, depending on how you say it.
Different people say different ways, tracking and scoreboard tracking.
Wesley does the line judging for that.
And, you know, so everybody, we're all, you know, doing the very best we can, but Wesley has definitely, you know, stepped up to make sure that we don't drop any balls.
And I'm really grateful for that.
And you pack Sunday nights for family dinners?
Yes.
And which I don't always, you know, yes, I cook Sunday nights for dinner, but I was about to say I don't always crush it.
So that's, I do that.
And I also kind of get there, if there's stuff I can get ready for the week.
I was making casseroles and stuff to kind of leave there or something that they could put in the oven, but I was coming back on Thursdays and we get back Thursdays around like 5.30 usually.
Sunday Dinners and Family Grit00:08:25
And it was still in the, it was still in the fridge with the directions on it that just said like 3.50 bake.
So I so I am not doing that as much, but I am still doing the breakfast.
I make them breakfast burritos and put them in there.
And I'm able, like, I have some, you know, make, put them in tinfoil and I write them a little note and they can just put them in the air fryer and heat them up real quick and then, you know, take them to school.
So I do do that.
What's your skincare routine?
Oh my gosh.
Well, I should just learn more from my daughter.
I mean, goodness gracious.
Are you taking her to Sephora or?
So she went through the phase where, you know, obviously she and her friends were very into that.
I was doing an event the other day with John Fetterman and it was some before Burgess asked us something and Fetterman said, you know, it's like when you have to take your daughter to get drunken elephant.
And, you know, you can tell that like Burgess was like, what is that?
And I'm like, I'm a teenage girl.
You do not know that it is.
Whoa, I'm like, we have been through that phase, you know, where everyone's talking about drunk elephant.
And you're like, what is that?
And it's like these beautiful little bottles, you know, at Sephora.
But so she has moved away from that and just is, you know, finding things that she thinks are both healthy and cost effective.
But she's really good with a sunscreen.
And I wish that I had been better, you know, with all of those things.
So learning a lot now for sure.
And you do your own makeup for the day and for TV?
Yeah.
You know, sometimes when you go in, depending on where you're going to do TV, they'll like spruce you.
They can like, you know, spruce you up.
But yeah, you're doing, you're doing your own.
And so it is you against the world in some situations.
But yeah, so doing the best you can on that.
All right, this one's going to be a hot one, right?
Okay.
When it comes to your husband, are you team beard or clean shaven?
Team beard.
You know, I even let him have it.
I mean, I would have said clean shaven, but he even had like kind of a soft beard at our wedding, which, you know, looking back, I'm like, so yeah, I'm here for it for sure.
Who was your biggest role model growing up?
How did they shape your leadership style today?
My parents.
So both small business owners, both working really hard to provide for my sisters and I.
And they showed me the way you treat people matters.
You know, my dad always says it never costs you a thing to be kind and you'll never go wrong doing right.
And my mom's, you know, just kind of sort of grit and determination in both raising us and pursuing what she believed, you know, was right and helpful for us.
The two of them, and they bless that they both, you know, had us in an environment where we learned to love and depend on the Lord and that family matters and that giving back to your community does.
So they are really, they are such incredible people.
And I am so blessed to have had their example and also their encouragement.
You know, your parents, you can not only learn from them, but also rely on them to help remind you, you know, who you are and to stand back up and to keep moving and that the Lord has good, you know, has plans for you.
And my parents have just been incredible.
If you could host a dinner party with three people dead or alive.
Three people who's coming in.
Okay.
What kind of dinner party are we doing here?
Like, what are we, what are we thinking?
What's the vibe?
I mean, is it in your kitchen?
Right.
Is it in my kitchen?
We could do that.
We could do that.
We could do the dining room.
We could do outside on the patio.
Are your chickens coming?
My chickens are definitely going to make an appearance.
And my dog, by the way, which the dog we have put away for you, $154, Newfoundland.
And so when we got this dog, Katie, I did not, well, we've had one new fee before this.
And when my husband went to pick it up, I did not realize I needed to put a height and weight limitation on the kind of dog that we had.
I said, you know, I got him and he's, you know, just three, he's made a shoot, he was this big.
And Wesley said, well, what do you want me to do?
Walk a small dog?
I'm like, well, that's fair.
That's fair.
So he's like, he would look so silly with like one of those dogs.
So this is our second one.
But three people, I would say my great-grandmother, she went by Mimi.
She founded, was part of founding the church that I grew up in.
But my dad and my grandfather talked about her so often and how the way that she conducted them herself and the standards that she set and the way she treated people set the baseline for Howell and what they taught us.
So I think that that would be fascinating, obviously, to be able to sit with her and learn those things firsthand.
And then you said, you said, it doesn't matter if they're better who they are.
I mean, I think you always have to go with Ronald Reagan because he's just such a fascinating figure when you look back in time and what he was able to accomplish and where he came from and also how he's perceived today.
And so I would love to like dig in and ask him some questions there.
And then third person, do you have any suggestions on anybody you feel like would pair would pair well?
My three people are going to be wildly different.
Wildly different.
Wildly different.
Like I'm going Queen Victoria because she's like the grandmother of all of all Europe.
And so I'll be very fascinated by that conversation.
To be like, where did this come from?
Right?
Yeah.
You were going with the grandmother theme.
Yeah, I'm going to do that.
And then I think I would let I would rotate the third seat and let my children come in and out so they'd have the opportunity to experience and ask questions too.
That's lovely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's one thing I've learned in this job is like, you know, it's a lot for your children.
Obviously, you know, we decided to put our name on the, you know, put my name on the ballot.
And those of us who serve, you know, we decided that, but your kids didn't ask for this.
And so in kind of figuring out how to navigate these things as a family, having that open dialogue and where there are opportunities for them to be able to experience things like that, giving them that.
Mike Lee actually gave me some really good advice.
I sat down with him when I got there and I said, do you have any advice for me as I work to do this and particularly with my family and my kids?
And Mike said, you should ask them when you're with them, you're about to do an interview or you're talking with them on the phone and you're about to go on TV.
Ask them, like, hey, do you have any opinions on, you know, they may ask me about this and this is in the news today.
Do you have any thoughts?
And he said, you will be amazed how neat it is for them if you're able to incorporate some of their thoughts or the things that they that they said into what you're into what you're doing.
And so I have done that a number of times and it really does.
It really is kind of, it's special.
So we'll close with this, right?
Okay.
Richard Shelby, your predecessor, was a senator for 32 years.
You took office when you were 40.
Yeah, geez.
If you stayed, you would be 72 at that point.
Do you see yourself surpassing him?
And do you see yourself staying in the Senate for as long as your predecessor did?
Look.
He retired at, I think, 88.
Yeah, I look, I came to the Senate to get a job done.
There are things that I am fighting for.
There are realities that exist that I want to change for the next generation.
I want the American dream to be alive for them.
I want them to have the same opportunities I do.
I want common sense to be back in the arena and our nation be in a position to thrive.
And so the way I view this, Katie, is like getting in there and getting to work.
And that's exactly what I've been able to do so far and what I plan to keep doing.
I want to achieve results for the people of Alabama and the country.
I am hopeful that I can get a lot done and leave a mark and be in a place to also enjoy life.
So not sure what the timeframe on that would be, but I am focused on, I mean, for me, this is a calling and it is a moment in time right now that we have to take our country back to kind of re-cement those values and opportunities.
And so I don't take that lightly.
And so we've been working around the clock and that's what we're going to keep doing.
Leaving a Mark on the Country00:00:25
And ultimately, you know, as long as I'm able to do that and we can move the needle, I hope to be able to make an impact and then, you know, be ready.
From one Katie to another.
Katie.
Thank you so much for joining.
Thank you.
Thank you all for watching this episode of the Katie Miller podcast.
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