Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), once regarded as a staunch conservative voice in the Republican Party, is now facing major scrutiny over his connections to the International Republican Institute (IRI), a taxpayer-funded nonprofit that has received over $130.7 million in federal grants in 2024 alone.
According to DataRepublican, a leading investigative account on government spending on X, formerly Twitter, Cotton serves as a Director at IRI, though he does not receive compensation for his role. Despite this, the organization’s funding and activities have raised concerns among conservative circles, particularly in relation to its alignment with globalist initiatives that run counter to America First policies.
Recent audits reveal that IRI, one of eight core non-governmental organizations (NGOs) affiliated with the U.S. political establishment, has been heavily bankrolled by USAID, with nearly $130.7 million of taxpayer funds allocated to the organization in the past year. The financial records highlight significant spending on:
- Salaries: $38 million
- Fringe benefits: $17.5 million
- Travel expenses: $12.1 million
- Rent and utilities: $3 million
While IRI has long positioned itself as a pro-democracy group, it has also been linked to efforts supporting refugee resettlement through UN-affiliated organizations, such as the International Organization for Migration. Many conservatives believe that these initiatives undermine U.S. sovereignty and fail to align with Republican voters’ interests.
The news that Cotton is deeply connected to IRI has provoked a strong response, especially given his recent opposition to President Trump’s nominee, Elbridge Colby, for a key position in the Department of Defense.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, called out Cotton’s role in what he described as an attempt to “undermine Trump’s agenda from within the Senate.”
“The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the U.S. Senate. @SenTomCotton is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD,” Kirk wrote. “Colby is one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD. Why is Tom Cotton doing this?”
This has fueled speculation that Cotton, once considered a Trump ally, may be shifting allegiances towards the Bush-era neoconservative establishment, which has long clashed with Trump’s America First movement.
Critics argue that IRI is one of several organizations that operate under the guise of promoting conservative values while actually furthering globalist and interventionist policies. DataRepublican pointed out that IRI’s spending patterns resemble those of many Beltway elites, prioritizing bureaucratic overhead and international initiatives over tangible benefits for American citizens.
Cotton recently criticized Elon Musk in his book, accusing him of “chasing Chinese dollars” and “shamefully supplicating China’s Communist rulers.”
