{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-usda-sec-rollins-discuss-broadening-us-cotton-cattle-markets", "HYDE-SMITH, USDA SEC. ROLLINS DISCUSS BROADENING U.S. COTTON, CATTLE MARKETS", "2026-06-10", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "At USDA Oversight Hearing, Hyde-Smith Looks to Save U.S. Cotton and Reverse Diminishing Cattle Herds\n\nVIDEO: Senator Hyde-Smith and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins Confer on Promoting U.S. Cotton and Rebuilding American Cattle Herds.\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today expressed optimism that Congress and the Trump administration can make the necessary moves to rebuild the U.S. cotton industry and American cattle herds that were in decline even before the arrival of the New World screwworm.\n\nHyde-Smith addressed those issues with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a Senate Agricultural Committee hearing on oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\n\nCOTTON\n\nHyde Smith praised the White House release of its Great American Cotton Plan to increase the demand for U.S. cotton, one aspect of which includes Hyde-Smith\u2019s Buying American Cotton Act (S.1919) to establish tax credits to incentivize the use of U.S.-grown cotton and U.S.-manufactured cotton products.\n\n\u201cI can remember as a child seeing the bumper stickers, \u2018Cotton is King.\u2019 It\u2019s not king anymore. I know we can bring that back, and there\u2019s no reason why we shouldn\u2019t,\u201d Hyde-Smith said, after noting the loss of cotton gins in Mississippi over the past 35 years \u2013 from 181 in 1991 to just 33 today.\n\n\u201cSo, from what started out a year ago as what some people thought of as a messaging bill, we\u2019ve gotten traction because it is so logical and thanks to the unique coalition of the Cotton Belt farmers, fashion brands that we all know and have heard of. They\u2019ve gotten on board, as well as health advocates and business leaders across the nation. They are just embracing the Buying American Cotton Act, and it has become a major priority for the American producers as well as the retailers,\u201d Hyde-Smith added.\n\nRollins concurred, \u201cMy vision, with your partnership and probably your vision too, is that all these great American companies should be at the table and say, \u2018From now on, I\u2019m going to start with, let\u2019s say, 20 percent. I\u2019m only going to buy American cotton, and then 50 percent and then more.\u2019 Let\u2019s get back to the days where most of our clothing, etc., sheets, etc., are sourced with great American cotton and then let\u2019s talk about it on the world stage.\u201d\n\nCATTLE\n\nHyde-Smith credited Rollins and President Trump for taking action early in the administration to prepare for the arrival of the New World screwworm, and questioned Rollins on how the parasite might affect policies to rebuild the national cattle herd numbers and encourage a new generation to get into raising cattle.\n\n\u201cThis pest, this screwworm, complicates the challenge of rebuilding the national cattle herd from a low record,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cWe need to incentivize young producers that they want to get into producing fine cattle in this country. And we can definitely do that. I know so many who want to be a cowboy. We just got to help them get there. Madam Secretary, what is the administration doing to break down barriers for producers to rebuild their herds? And what should Congress be doing to help you achieve those goals?\u201d\n\nRollins credited provisions included in the Working Families Tax Cut Act related to the agriculture safety net, federal nutrition programs, and tax changes.\n\n\u201cI think Congress did an amazing thing in the Working Families Tax Cut Act. When we increase the definition of a young farmer rancher from 5 to 10 years, that allows more access to a lot more programs at USDA to undergird and to support, you know, the vision cast for these ranchers so they see a future in this business, especially the first and second generation. Obviously want to protect the multi-generations, but the incentive to get into the business is really important,\u201d Rollins said.\n\nRollins also noted steps related to USDA involvement with the Make America Healthy Again initiative in terms of sourcing federal nutrition programs, restoring federal grazing allotments, and fighting the lawfare\u2014lawsuits filed against farms and ranches.\n\n\u201cThis is a national security issue. While we\u2019re incentivizing the next generation to lean in, while we\u2019re taking the burdens off, you know, the grazing allotments and regulation under the last administration were pretty severe. It was very clear there wasn\u2019t really an incentive to support cattle ranching,\u201d the Secretary added.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-18T06:41:00Z", "2026-06-18T06:43:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/hyde-smith-usda-sec-rollins-discuss-broadening-us-cotton-cattle-markets"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6558191273361444, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}