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 in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
