Dan Sullivan and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: His Vote and Its Costs for Alaska
On July 1, 2025, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote, so the law would have failed without his vote. A report prepared for the Alaska Department of Health projects that between 9,452 and 13,611 Alaskans will lose Medicaid coverage under the law's work requirements alone.
Before final passage, Sullivan voted against a series of motions and amendments to strip the Medicaid cuts, protect rural hospitals and nursing homes, extend health insurance tax credits and protect children's food aid, as recorded in the Congressional Record. In February and April 2025 he voted for both budget resolutions that set up the bill.
Sullivan then praised the law for Alaska, saying "no state fared better", and called its SNAP and Medicaid work rules "common sense work reforms."
Dan Sullivan's Votes and Statements on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
- Sullivan Cast One of the 50 Votes That Passed the Law in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted yes on H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote. The Alaska Beacon reported that the law was expected to add more than $3.2 trillion to the national debt over 10 years while cutting federal assistance programs.
- Sullivan Voted Against Striking the Medicaid Cuts in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Sullivan voted no on a motion to commit the bill with instructions that "would strike any provision that cuts funding for Medicaid" (Congressional Record); it failed 47 to 53. Roughly 1 in 3 Alaskans receives health care through Medicaid.
- Sullivan Voted Against Protecting Rural Hospitals in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Sullivan voted no on a motion to strike any provision that would result in "increased likelihood of rural hospitals being forced to close" (Congressional Record); it failed 49 to 51. Hospitals in Valdez, Seward, Kodiak, Cordova and Ketchikan were among 338 nationwide considered at risk.
- Sullivan Voted Against Extending Health Insurance Tax Credits in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Sullivan voted no on waiving a budget point of order against an amendment to extend the enhanced premium tax credits; it failed 47 to 53. After the credits lapsed, more than 3,000 Alaskans dropped marketplace coverage in early 2026.
- Sullivan Voted Against Protecting Children's Food Aid in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Sullivan voted no on a motion to ensure no provision of the bill "cuts any food assistance benefits for families with children under the age of 12" (Congressional Record); it failed 47 to 53.
- Sullivan Voted Against Keeping the Medicaid Cut Out of the Budget Plan in April 2025. On April 5, 2025, Sullivan voted no on an amendment to strike the budget resolution's instructions to the House Energy and Commerce Committee "to cut $880,000,000,000 from Medicaid" (Congress.gov amendment record). It failed 49 to 50. He then voted for the budget resolution, adopted 51 to 48.
- Sullivan Voted for the February 2025 Budget Resolution. On February 21, 2025, Sullivan voted yes on the Senate's first budget resolution, adopted 52 to 48, after voting against an amendment to strike instructions requiring cuts to programs for rural Americans and food assistance.
- Sullivan Praised the Law and Its Work Rules in July 2025. At a July 2, 2025 news conference published by the Alaska Beacon, Sullivan said "no state fared better" and described "common sense work reforms that are both in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the Medicaid provisions."
What Dan Sullivan's Vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Means for Alaska
- Thousands of Alaskans are projected to lose Medicaid under the work requirements. The Alaska Department of Health's modeling found 61,169 expansion enrollees subject to the rules and projects 9,452 to 13,611 will lose coverage, mostly for failing to meet requirements or file paperwork, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
- Juneau's hospital faces a Medicaid revenue loss of up to $4 million a year. Bartlett Regional Hospital, which serves about 55,000 people in northern Southeast Alaska, could lose up to $4 million annually in Medicaid revenue, its CEO estimated, putting pressure on the only home health and hospice provider in Juneau.
- Alaska must pay about $10 million more a year to run SNAP. The law shifts SNAP administrative costs to a 75 percent state share; the Alaska Food Policy Council reports the state estimates the administrative cost shift alone at about $10 million per year, with benefit cost liability projected above $55 million a year once that shift applies.
- Social Security and Medicare trust funds run dry sooner. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the law accelerates Social Security and Medicare insolvency to 2032, bringing an across-the-board benefit cut of about 24 percent for Social Security beneficiaries at that point.
Frequently Asked Questions Dan Sullivan on One Big Beautiful Bill
What is Dan Sullivan's record on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act under Trump?
Dan Sullivan of Alaska voted for the law on July 1, 2025, in a 50 to 50 vote broken by the Vice President, and voted against motions to strike its Medicaid cuts and protect rural hospitals. Alaska's health department projects up to 13,611 Alaskans will lose Medicaid under its work rules.
Was Dan Sullivan's vote needed to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?
Yes. Dan Sullivan's yes vote was one of 50, and the bill passed 50 to 50 only with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote, so it would have failed without him.
What did Dan Sullivan say about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?
Dan Sullivan told reporters on July 2, 2025 that "no state fared better" than Alaska, according to the Alaska Beacon transcript, and backed the bill's SNAP and Medicaid work rules.
How did Dan Sullivan vote on the $880 billion Medicaid instruction in the 2025 budget?
Dan Sullivan voted no on April 5, 2025 on removing the instruction to cut $880 billion from Medicaid; the amendment failed 49 to 50.
Last updated: 2026-10-28