ICYMI: U.S. Senator Katie Britt Joins The Takeout with Major Garrett on CBS News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined The Takeout with Major Garrett on CBS News. She discussed Trump's State of the Union address and ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations negotiations.

On President Trump's State of the Union and his revitalization of hope for the country:

"I think that this was the best State of the Union … that we have seen in modern history. The reason I say that is President Trump did an outstanding job of reminding Americans where we were over the last four years in the Biden administration. Borders that had illegal immigrants flowing over, unsafe streets, costs that were out of reach, making the American dream further and further away for so many people who had hoped to achieve it, and obviously, complete and total chaos abroad. President Trump succinctly came back and said, let me remind you … where we are now. He talked about the things he has done closing our border … He talked about crime being at a … 125-year low when it came to murder rates and crime in large cities … He talked about making good on the promises he put in front of the American people…

"President Trump also revitalized a spirit of America and patriotism that people have been longing for. People want to see a leader that is excited about the country they lead, and that believes that its best days are ahead and that are committed to doing everything possible to achieving that. That's what they saw in the president. And in addition to all of that, I think we had a moment as Americans to remember the sacrifice of our servicemen and women. And so seeing each of these people, whether it's first responders or men and women and in uniform from the Coast Guard to those who have done the most complex missions, Americans got a chance to say thank you alongside the President of the United States and to realize all that they put on the line for the freedoms of the country that we love … And I think there is also an optimism that we finally have a leader that campaigns on something on the campaign trail and then makes good on it. And he certainly laid that out in stark contrast to what we saw in the Biden administration."

On the current state of DHS appropriations negotiations and engaging with her Senate Democratic colleagues:

"I have re-engaged in conversations … with our Democratic colleagues, and I am hopeful we can find a pathway forward. Look, I think what people have to remember here is that this encompasses so many things that are important to Americans right now, obviously at TSA, but also FEMA … We're looking at the disaster relief fund being depleted, getting that money out the door, and knowing that Americans need that moving forward. It's important that we keep the Department of Homeland Security funded … We need to reach a result because those paychecks will stop on March 5."

On Democrats placating to their far-Left base instead of coming to the negotiating table:

"And what Democrats know is that the people of CBP and ICE are going to continue to operate. So them dragging their feet, Major, does absolutely nothing because we are still operating in this space. So you cannot tell me that you are concerned about what they're doing, but yet not be at the table right now for solutions. So walking away is literally political theater. They feel like they have an issue. They're placating to their base instead of coming forward and trying to find solutions, trying to find some incremental adjustments or changes that can be made … Half of where we are right now has to do with sanctuary city policies so, if we're going to talk about legislative action, Major, then those things are going to be on the table. And I guarantee you that people do not want taxpayer dollars going to fund cities that do not cooperate with law enforcement."

You can watch the full interview here.

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