Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, once viewed as a robust conservative within the Republican ranks, is now under fire for his ties to the International Republican Institute (IRI). This taxpayer-funded nonprofit, which has raked in more than $130 million in federal grants as recently as 2024, has raised eyebrows among conservative voters who expect their representatives to stand firmly against globalism.
Cotton serves as a director at IRI, a gig he takes on without pay, but that little fact doesn’t help ease the concerns rising in right-leaning circles. With the organization’s funding primarily funneled from USAID, critics see a troubling trend of taxpayer dollars supporting initiatives that cater more to international interests than to the America First agenda that many conservatives fervently support. It’s a classic case of Washington bureaucrats making extravagant spending decisions that rarely deliver real benefits to American citizens.
The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the US Senate @SenTomCotton is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD
Colby is one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD
Why is Tom Cotton… pic.twitter.com/6pAXZkKZTw
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 16, 2025
The audits do not sugarcoat the reality: IRI’s expenditures include $38 million on salaries, $17.5 million on fringe benefits, and nearly $12.1 million in travel expenses—all while it promotes itself as a champion of democracy abroad. And for what? Many conservatives find it unsettling that a significant portion of these taxpayer dollars supports programs linked to UN-affiliated organizations focusing on refugee resettlement. In the minds of many voters, this undermines U.S. sovereignty. After all, what good is a national agenda if it gets derailed by the whims of international players?
The news of Cotton’s cozy connections with IRI gained traction just as he publicly opposed President Trump’s nominee, Elbridge Colby, for a key position at the Department of Defense. This sudden shift has left many scratching their heads. It’s almost as if Cotton has decided to join forces with the neocon establishment of yesteryear, the very group Trump’s America First movement sought to uproot. A once-promising ally now raises flags as a potential double agent deep in the Senate trenches.
I’ll clarify this for you, @charliekirk11.
Senator Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) serves as a Director at the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of eight core NGOs aligned with the political establishment. While IRI is closely tied to the Republican Party, its agenda and… https://t.co/gY6r846Pb3 pic.twitter.com/EJl7Q9KGIr
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) February 16, 2025
Not content to let the matter drop, conservatives like Charlie Kirk have spotlighted Cotton’s actions, suggesting he may be sabotaging Trump’s agenda. Kirk has asserted that as Cotton works subtly to block Trump’s pick, he appears to leap into bed with the very Bush/Cheney establishment that many Republicans thought had seen the last of its influence. It’s a baffling turn of events that prompts the question: who exactly is Senator Cotton representing?
In a remarkable twist, Cotton recently took a shot at Elon Musk, accusing the tech tycoon of kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party for financial gain. One has to wonder, though, if Cotton’s own affiliations may not amount to a more direct conflict with American interests. Time will tell if this conservative stalwart can reconcile his past commitments to the America First movement with his present affiliations that look more like the globalist status quo.