Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi on a range of issues including child safety online, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, antisemitism, and rising violent crime.
Senator Britt opened her remarks by focusing on the dangers facing children and teens on social media. “I have sat across from a number of parents who have talked to me about their child either falling victim to sextortion or different schemes that are online,” Britt said. “We also know that there is an element of human trafficking that comes here. What are you doing to hold bad actors accountable, to track them down, and to keep our kids safe?”
Attorney General Bondi responded that her department has made “countless cases” involving international defendants and is continuing efforts to extradite offenders to the U.S. for prosecution. “We’re bringing them back to this country. That’s how we’re holding them accountable and locking them up for as long as we humanly can,” Bondi stated.
Senator Britt also addressed the issue of online drug sales, citing tragedies caused by fentanyl-laced substances. “If that was happening on a storefront in America, we would shut that storefront down,” she said. “We must do more to hold, not only the bad actors online, but also the people who allow it to happen accountable.”
Turning to illegal offshore gaming operations targeting minors, Britt pressed Bondi to investigate how these operations exploit children. Bondi pledged to work with the Senator to protect minors from these schemes.
Britt also raised the issue of illegal Chinese vapes being sold across the country. Bondi noted that federal authorities have been conducting raids to shut down vape shops carrying illegal drugs.
Reflecting on the two-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks, Senator Britt spoke about the emotional toll on victims’ families and condemned the rise of antisemitism in the United States. “In addition to this horror and nightmare they have been living for the past two years, we have seen a rise in antisemitism here on our soil,” she said, asking what actions the Department of Justice is taking to combat antisemitic hate crimes.
Finally, Senator Britt addressed the increase in violent crime across American cities, referencing a recent mass shooting in Montgomery that left two dead and 12 injured. “My heart breaks for every one of the victims and their families and the community at large,” she said. “We have to find solutions in this space. This cannot keep happening.”
Throughout the hearing, Senator Britt emphasized accountability, interagency cooperation, and decisive federal action to safeguard communities, protect children, and uphold justice nationwide.
