U.S. Senate · researched profile
Chairman — Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Tom Cotton is a Republican senator from Arkansas who has served in the Senate since 2015 after one term in the House. His official Senate biography records prior Army infantry service, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and legal and private-sector work before Congress.
Profile updated Oct 3, 2026
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Reuters and AP reported that President Trump posted a phone number he said belonged to Sen. Tom Cotton and urged Arkansans to call him in support of the Sunshine Protection Act. Cotton remained opposed, citing dark winter mornings and safety concerns. The House had passed H.R. 139 by 308–117; Senate action remained pending.
Open this evidence record ↓Tom Cotton is a Republican senator from Arkansas who has served in the Senate since 2015 after one term in the House. His official Senate biography records prior Army infantry service, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and legal and private-sector work before Congress.
Open biography & office record ↓Tom Cotton is a Republican senator from Arkansas who has served in the Senate since 2015 after one term in the House. His official Senate biography records prior Army infantry service, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and legal and private-sector work before Congress.
Cotton chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and also serves as chair of the Senate Republican Conference. The Intelligence Committee’s current site identifies Mark Warner as vice chairman and lists the committee’s 2026 intelligence-authorization activity.
Cotton’s July 2026 legislative announcements include the Fiscal Sponsorship Transparency Act, a tax-disclosure and conduit-arrangement proposal. This entry records the proposal and its stated mechanics without adopting the political characterizations in the sponsoring office’s press release.
On October 3, 2026, President Trump publicly posted a phone number he said belonged to Cotton while urging Arkansas residents to pressure the senator to support the Sunshine Protection Act. Reuters and AP reported that Cotton remained opposed; the House had passed H.R. 139 in July, but Senate passage remained unresolved in the reviewed record. FactFlag does not reproduce the number.
Cotton announced the bill on July 23, 2026. His official office described disclosure requirements for certain fiscal-sponsorship arrangements and tax consequences for specified conduit transactions; this review records the proposal without treating the office’s advocacy language as an established factual finding.
Trump said Cotton was blocking a very important bill and urged Arkansas residents to call him. Cotton has argued that permanent daylight saving time would create excessively dark winter mornings for children and early workers.
The House Clerk records H.R. 139 passing 308–117 on July 14. Reuters and AP independently reported Trump’s October 3 public posting of a number he attributed to Cotton and Cotton’s continued opposition. The reports do not establish that Cotton changed his position or that the Senate passed the bill. FactFlag does not reproduce the phone number.
Cotton reiterated his opposition in contemporaneous reporting, emphasizing winter-morning darkness and safety. Trump continued arguing for permanent daylight saving time and urged public pressure on Cotton.
Limits / uncertainty: FactFlag has not independently verified ownership of the posted number and does not reproduce it. The record establishes a political pressure tactic and bill status, not criminal liability, motive, eventual Senate action or the truth of broader health/crime/economic forecasts about permanent daylight saving time.