Free Trade

Trump's Cotton Bailout Is Another Sign His Tariffs Aren't Working

The Great American Cotton Plan will shell out millions in taxpayer funds, continuing the Trump administration’s pattern of paying off industries harmed by the president’s economic policies.

Tosin Akintola | 6.1.2026 2:24 PM

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(Illustration: Mohammed Shajahan/ZUMAPRESS/Samuel Corum/UPI/Newscom)

As the agriculture sector continues to feel the pain of President Donald Trump's trade policies and the illegal war in Iran, Washington is bailing out cotton farmers. 

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Great American Cotton Plan, a protectionist initiative to subsidize American cotton farmers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the plan is necessary to help domestic growers who are being "crushed by rising costs, unfair foreign competition, and a flood of cheap synthetic products." To that end, the USDA will distribute $16 million annually to cotton farmers through the Pima Agriculture Cotton Trust Fund, which received a windfall........

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