Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has cosponsored the bipartisan Buying American Cotton Act of 2025 to incentivize retailers to sell products made with U.S. cotton to boost demand for cotton grown in the U.S. He is the first Senate Democrat to support the bill.
In a recent comment, Sen. Ossoff clarified that cosponsoring this bill is a reinforcement of his commitment to Georgia. The cotton industry is essential to the state’s economy, making this legislation easy to support for him.
“Georgia’s cotton growers are essential to our state’s economy,” Sen. Ossoff said. “This bipartisan legislation will help bolster Georgia cotton production and give our growers a competitive edge over global competitors.”
The Bill and its Support
Also known as Senate Bill (SB) 1919, this bill was originally introduced by Senator Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-MS) and cosponsored by Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and John Boozman (R-AR).
SB 1919’s primary goal is to amend the Internal Revenue Code and establish a domestic cotton consumption credit. This would incentivize the use of cotton grown and processed in the U.S.
This credit will be offered to U.S. entities that sell eligible products directly to consumers. Eligible products include clothing, home textiles, and nonwovens that remain in their ‘final condition.’
The credit amount is then multiplied by three factors. The first is the documented volume of cotton in the product. The second is the cotton’s area of origin. The third is the average market price for qualified cotton over the preceding three calendar years.
Key leaders of Georgia’s cotton industry have come out in support for this bill and have thanked Sen. Ossoff for taking up this cause. A notable supporter is the owner of Coley Gin & Fertilizer Company, Matt Coley, who called the bill a game-changer for the industry.
“The traceability aspect of U.S. cotton provides consumers certainty on where the cotton in their textiles was grown,” Coley said. “I look forward to the passage of this bipartisan legislation and seeing more of our Georgia-grown cotton in stores across the United States.”
