In July 2025, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan voted for the Rescissions Act, which canceled roughly $8 billion for foreign assistance programs that Congress had already approved, including $500 million in global health funding. Before passage he voted against four amendments to keep money for disease programs, UNICEF, Europe and the United States Institute of Peace, and one of them failed by a single vote. The cuts followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio's cancellation of 83% of programs funded by U.S. Agency for International Development, cuts a Lancet study projected could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.
Sullivan also voted against measures to stop the boat strikes and the military action against Venezuela, and in January 2026 he cast one of the votes for the procedural ruling that killed a Venezuela war powers resolution on the Vice President's tie-breaking vote. He called the boat strikes "lawful strikes against these cartels"; they have killed 238 people in 79 strikes as of October 2026.
Dan Sullivan's Votes, Confirmations and Statements on Foreign Policy
- Sullivan Voted to Cancel About $8 Billion in Foreign Aid in July 2025. On July 17, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted for H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act, which passed 51 to 48, after he had voted to take the bill up on a 50-50 vote broken by the Vice President, a vote that would have failed without his. The law canceled roughly $8 billion for foreign assistance programs, including $500 million in global health funding, money Congress had approved months earlier. It came after the State Department took over programs previously run by the U.S. Agency for International Development and shut the agency on July 1, 2025.
- Sullivan Voted Against Keeping Money for Disease Programs, UNICEF and the Institute of Peace in July 2025. During the July 16-17, 2025 debate on the Rescissions Act, Sullivan voted no on four amendments to keep money the bill canceled: for programs addressing diseases, for assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, for UNICEF and other international organizations, and for the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Europe amendment failed 49 to 50, so a yes vote from Sullivan would have kept that money in the law. PATH, a global health nonprofit, said the law ended up rescinding $500 million in global health funding.
- Sullivan Voted Against Barring Last-Minute "Pocket Rescissions" of Foreign Aid in January 2026. On January 30, 2026, Sullivan voted no on waiving budget rules for Senator Jeff Merkley's amendment "to prevent the deferral or rescission of appropriations within 90 days of their expiration." It failed 47 to 52. In August 2025 the administration had moved to yank nearly $5 billion in foreign aid already approved by Congress this way, and the Supreme Court's interim order allowed President Trump's administration to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid funding until the money expired.
- Sullivan Cast One of the Votes That Killed a Venezuela War Powers Resolution in January 2026. On January 14, 2026, eleven days after United States forces raided Caracas in an operation named "Absolute Resolve", Sullivan voted yes on a point of order that ended Senate consideration of a resolution to remove forces from hostilities against Venezuela that Congress had not authorized. The vote was 50 to 50 and the Vice President broke the tie, so the resolution would have survived without Sullivan's vote. Cuba said 32 of its personnel were killed in the raid, and Havana declares two days of mourning for the Cubans killed in US operation, Al Jazeera reported.
- Sullivan Voted Twice Against Stopping the Boat Strikes and Military Action Against Venezuela in 2025. Sullivan voted no on October 8, 2025 on taking up a resolution to remove forces from hostilities Congress had not authorized, after a month of strikes on boats in the Caribbean, and again on November 6 on a resolution covering hostilities within or against Venezuela, which failed 49 to 51. The first strike, on September 2, 2025, killed 11, and by October 2026 the campaign had reached 79 strikes and 238 killed, including at least 22 people who had survived an initial strike only to be hit again or die at sea, the Associated Press reported.
- Sullivan Voted to End Debate on a Cuba War Powers Resolution in April 2026. On April 28, 2026, Sullivan voted yes on a point of order that ended Senate consideration of a resolution to remove forces from hostilities within or against Cuba that Congress had not authorized; it passed 51 to 47. Under a fuel blockade, Cuba had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil amid a US blockade by May 2026, The Guardian reported.
- Sullivan Voted Against Backing Continued Support for Ukraine in 2025. On February 21, 2025, Sullivan voted no on a budget amendment "to ensure continued United States support for the Government of Ukraine to stand firm against aggression by the Government of Russia in Europe," which failed 47 to 53. On April 4, 2025, he also voted no on an amendment "to prevent any disruption in security assistance to Ukraine," which failed 48 to 51. Between those votes the administration suspended military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine, then lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing on March 11, 2025, the Associated Press reported.
- Sullivan Voted Against Barring Strike Plans From Commercial Messaging Apps After the Signal Chat. On April 4, 2025, ten days after a journalist published the Signal chat about strikes in Yemen, Sullivan voted no on an amendment to protect service members "by prohibiting the use of any commercial messaging application to transmit information revealing the timing, sequencing, or weapons to be used during impending United States military operations." It failed 46 to 53. The Defense Department's inspector general later found that Secretary Pete Hegseth sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information, including the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory, which could cause harm to DoD personnel and mission objectives.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm Marco Rubio, Who Shut Down USAID. On January 20, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state. As acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Rubio announced the cancellation of 83% of programs funded by U.S. Agency for International Development in March 2025, and a Lancet study projected the cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 if they are permanent.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm the State Department Officials Who Carried Out Its Layoffs. Sullivan voted to confirm Christopher Landau as deputy secretary of state on March 24, 2025, and Michael Rigas as deputy secretary for management and resources on May 14, 2025. On July 11, 2025, the department sent layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers, and a year later NPR reported that more than 1,350 employees, including foreign services officers were laid off.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm the Export-Control Official Who Licensed AI Chip Sales to China. On March 13, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Jeffrey Kessler as the Commerce Department's under secretary for industry and security, who runs export controls. Commerce began licensing Nvidia's H20 chips for China in exchange for 15% of their revenues from chip sales to China; the China page covers the details.
- Sullivan Called the Boat Strikes "Lawful" and Said They Are "Saving Lives". After his October 8, 2025 vote against the boat-strike war powers resolution, Sullivan said in a statement to the Alaska Beacon, "President Trump's lawful strikes against these cartels are saving lives." The strikes continued to 79 strikes and 238 killed by October 2026.
What the Foreign Policy Dan Sullivan Voted For Has Cost
- Global health. A Lancet study projected that the aid cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 if they are not reversed.
- Boat strike survivors. At least 22 people who had survived an initial strike only to be hit again or die at sea are among the dead, the Associated Press reported in May 2026.
- Diplomats. The State Department's July 2025 layoffs cut more than 1,350 employees, including foreign services officers, NPR reported a year later.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dan Sullivan on Foreign policy
What is Dan Sullivan's record on foreign policy under Trump?
Dan Sullivan voted for the July 2025 law that canceled roughly $8 billion for foreign assistance programs and against four amendments to keep parts of that money, voted against ending the boat strikes and military action against Venezuela, and voted to confirm the officials who carried out the aid cuts. The boat strikes have killed 238 people, and a Lancet study projected the aid cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.
How did Dan Sullivan vote on the Venezuela and boat strike war powers resolutions?
Dan Sullivan voted against Senate resolutions to stop the boat strikes and military action against Venezuela in October and November 2025, and voted for the January 14, 2026 point of order that killed a third one on the Vice President's tie-breaking vote. The first strike, in September 2025, killed 11 people.
Did Dan Sullivan vote to cut USAID and foreign aid?
Yes. Dan Sullivan voted for the Rescissions Act in July 2025, which canceled about $8 billion in foreign aid including $500 million in global health funding, and in January 2026 he voted against barring pocket rescissions, the method the administration used to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid.
How did Dan Sullivan vote on Ukraine aid in 2025?
Dan Sullivan voted against two 2025 Senate amendments backing Ukraine: one in February to ensure continued support for Ukraine and one in April to prevent any disruption in security assistance; both failed. The administration had paused military aid and intelligence sharing in March 2025 and lifted its suspension about a week later.
Last updated: 2026-10-25