Tom Cotton
U.S. Senator from Arkansas
Thomas Bryant Cotton was born in May 1977 in Dardanelle, Arkansas. He earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard College. He entered a master’s program at Claremont Graduate University but left to enroll at Harvard Law School, from which he received a Juris Doctor. He clerked at the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, then entered private practice in Washington, D.C.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he was commissioned as an infantry officer. He rose to the rank of captain before his discharge. He completed the U.S. Army Ranger Course, earning the Ranger tab, and Airborne School to earn the Parachutist Badge. He served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. After his time in the Army, Cotton worked for a management consulting firm.
Cotton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served one term before being elected to the United States Senate. He assumed office in January 2015.
He is married to Anna and they have two sons. He is a Methodist.
In the News…
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas announced his plan to introduce legislation that will allow the U.S. to accelerate the harvesting of critical minerals for the nation’s defense. The Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act would reduce environmental red tape to support the mineral mining necessary for military and defense readiness.
“Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk and waste taxpayer dollars on projects that stall out and die on the vine,” Cotton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.”
The act would provide waivers to the the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and Federal Water Pollution Control Act, allowing the Pentagon to “operate with maximum agility and efficiency to ensure it is prepared to deter and, if necessary, fight and win a conflict with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Senator Cotton said that the regulations “frequently and unnecessarily delay” the preparedness of the military without “substantial benefit to the environment or protected species,” and that “time is of the essence when it comes to national defense.“
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Senator Cotton today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Tom Cotton
Senator from Arkansas
326 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
