Thank you, Glenn, for the kind introduction. Thank you all for the warm welcome.  It's a real pleasure to join you today, particularly as you honor Bob Litt with the Intelligence Under Law Award.  Bob has dedicated much of his life to intelligence and the law, first at the Department of Justice and most recently at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  I got to know Bob during my first couple years on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he helped me get up to... Read More

In September, we'll mark the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine-the nine African-American students who enrolled in the then-all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Ask anybody who lived through the crisis, and they'll tell you they remember it vividly. They may not have been there in person. But they remember the photos-those searing images of an angry mob, the stoic students, and the bayoneted troops, all gathered at a high school-of all places. Perhaps the most searing image... Read More

Over the weekend, I heard a story I wanted to share with everyone here today. The story goes there were three candles burning on a porch right across the street from the Cornwell Funeral Home in Dardanelle, Arkansas-my hometown, just a couple of blocks away from my home. A family had lit them in memory of the three people who were brutally murdered last week in Chickalah-just a few miles outside Dardanelle. One of those slain was Lieutenant Kevin Mainhart, of the Yell County Sheriff's... Read More

Thank you very much. It's an honor to mark this special occasion with all of you: Chancellor Steinmetz, Lieutenant Colonel Wolfe, Mrs. Wolfe, Dr. Coleman, Admiral Johnson, Major General Berry, Mrs. Berry, Colonel Stefancic, airmen, and-most especially-the cadets and your families. It's also a pleasure to be here with you, and I do really mean that: most Army guys have to make Air Force jokes behind your back, but I get to do it right in front of you. Now, some of you might say that's just... Read More

I'm speaking tomorrow at an Air Force ROTC commissioning ceremony at the University of Arkansas. As I've been preparing my remarks, I've been thinking a lot about the airmen who left more than contrails behind them-the men and women who served with such distinction that we still remember them to this day-those great Americans, the heroes of the sky. And the first name that came to mind, the name that resounded louder than almost any other was the great Leo Thorsness. So you can imagine how... Read More

I'm going to be voting no on this 1700-page bill. I am not blind to some of the good parts of this bill. It includes last year's Intelligence Authorization Act, which includes some parts of the bill that I wrote that would counteract Russian activities in the United States and Europe-provisions that were blocked by the Obama Administration, since they refused to ever get tough on Russia. It increases defense spending, although not to an adequate degree given the threats we face. For the first... Read More

I want to take this opportunity to highlight what I consider an unsung achievement of this administration and this Congress: the slow-but-steady rollback of the last administration's midnight regulations. The numbers are impressive. Using the Congressional Review Act, we've repealed 13 regulations so far, which adds up to a $3.6 billion reduction in regulatory costs. To put it in more human terms, we've saved the American people 4.2 million hours of paperwork-which I can tell you is... Read More

I come to the floor today to honor the memory of former Congressman Jay Dickey, who passed on April 20. When Jay Dickey roamed the halls of Congress, you knew there might be mischief afoot-and what merry mischief it was. Jay was opinionated, colorful, zany. And now that he's passed, the warm laughter of memories once again echoes in these cold, marble halls, as we reflect on his life. He died last Thursday after a battle with Parkinson's-a battle he fought, like every other, with determination... Read More

This week, the Senate will fulfill one of our most important responsibilities: advice and consent for a nominee to the Supreme Court. The stakes don't get much higher than a lifetime appointment to the court of final appeal-especially as the Court has presumed over the last two generations to take more and more political and moral questions out of the hands of the people. President Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch, a distinguished jurist who understands the critical, but limited, role of... Read More

When his nomination comes to the floor next week, I will vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. This is my first time voting on a Supreme Court nominee, and I don't take the decision lightly. It's a lifetime appointment after all, and the Court's rulings have shaped our country's history-for good and for ill-and will continue to shape our future. But after reading Judge Gorsuch's writings, meeting with him in person, and listening to his testimony, I can say with confidence that it's... Read More

I returned last week from the Middle East, where several colleagues and I spent the weekend meeting with leaders and security officials in Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. As usual, the men and women who assisted us were consummate professionals-whether it was the U.S. Marines or the embassy personnel or our own military escorts and congressional staff. They all did a superb job. And I want to extend them all my deepest thanks. I'd like to say a few words about what we learned while we were there.... Read More

I recently read a story in the Wall Street Journal that I thought was so alarming it demanded action. Here's the headline: "Marathon Pharmaceuticals to Charge $89,000 for Muscular Dystrophy Drug After 70-Fold Increase." Yes, that's $89,000 a year, and yes, that is a 70-fold increase-"70-fold" as in 7,000 percent. Now, for those of you who haven't read the article, here's the story. There's a rare disease called Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It affects about 12,000 young men in the United... Read More

So, it’s February 15. By law, the president is required to submit a budget to Congress by the first Monday of this month. That was over a week ago. Now, this being a new administration, we expect them to be a few weeks late, as has typically happened in recent times. The difference this year, though, is that President Trump still doesn’t have a budget director. We’re four weeks into his presidency, and we’re only just now getting around to confirming his nominee. For... Read More

Our tax code is a mess—no one voted for it, no one wants it, no one likes it. I’ve said many times we should eliminate all the special-interest loopholes in the code and use that money to cut taxes for everybody—including American businesses. We want to encourage them to invest, grow, and create more jobs right here in America. I know my colleagues are working on a tax bill, and I want to stress how much I support their efforts. I’ll of course withhold judgments on any... Read More

Thank you all very much for that kind welcome. Thank you, Fred, and thank you to the American Enterprise Institute for once again hosting me, especially in the new digs - very nice. I'm looking forward to our discussion later today, first with Fred and me and then with all of you. But, at the outset, I want to offer some opening remarks about where we are, how we got here, and how we can begin to renew America's strength. Some people, especially those in the media and the Democratic Party, are... Read More

My home state of Arkansas lost one of its great statesmen last week with the passing of former state senator Stanley Russ. Stanley was a man of the soil. Born in Conway, he grew up on a dairy farm just outside the city. He went through the public-school system and earned a degree in agriculture from the University of Arkansas. And though he spent the bulk of his career in the life-insurance business, he continued to raise cattle over the years. Even when he was an old man, you could find him... Read More

Contact: Caroline Rabbitt (202) 224-2353 or Dylan Haney (501) 223-9081 Washington, D.C.- Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) this week recognized James Ross, of Cotter, Arkansas, as "Arkansan of the Week." You can find the full text of Senator Cotton's recognition on the Senate Floor below. A video of Senator Cotton's remarks can be viewed here. Today, I would like to recognize James A. Ross, of Cotter, Arkansas as this week's "Arkansan of the Week," for exemplifying what it means to be a great... Read More

The world may be more unstable than ever. The security architecture that we built after World War II is at risk. Our parents and grandparents fought to keep the world free from a conflict between major powers. They created order out of the chaos of world war and genocide. They protected our freedom and ensured that our democratic ideals would be the dominant power in the world. The foundation of that order is the U.S. military. Since they toppled Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, they held firm... Read More

Society of the Honor GuardTomb of the Unknown Soldier Banquet Thank you. Thank you very much for that kind introduction and thank you all for the warm welcome. It's so good to be back with my old battle buddies from The Old Guard. I want to thank Tom Tudor, partly for extending me the honor of speaking here tonight, but mostly for your many years of service to our country, to the Tomb, and to the Society. I nearly didn't make it tonight. A few days ago, my dad's best friend, Jack Shatford,... Read More

"Today the United States Senate will pass legislation renaming Post Office 620 Central Avenue in Hot Springs National Park after Chief Petty Officer Adam Brown. I have driven through that post office many times as a child, as a Congressman, and as a Senator. I can't say there is all that much remarkable about it, but it will be remarkable after this law is passed. I didn't know Adam Brown, but Adam was about my age. Adam was a great warrior and a hero. Three years ago on Memorial Day in Hot... Read More