On July 1, 2025, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan cast one of the 50 votes that defeated, on a tie, an amendment to strike the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's federal tax credit for private and religious school tuition, then cast one of the 50 votes that passed the law. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty wrote that Congress has entangled government and religion and projects the program will add $26 billion to the deficit, and Alaska opted in to the program in 2026.
Sullivan voted to confirm homeland security secretaries Kristi Noem and Markwayne Mullin, whose department carried out and defended the end of the 30-year policy that kept immigration arrests away from churches, a policy 27 religious groups say is driving people away from worship. ICE under their department also barred clergy from ministering to detainees until judges ordered access.
Dan Sullivan's Votes and Confirmations on Church, State and Houses of Worship
- Sullivan Cast a Deciding Vote to Keep Federal Tax Credits for Private and Religious School Tuition. On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted no on an amendment To eliminate a program of qualified elementary and secondary education scholarships for public, private, or religious schools. It was rejected on a 50 to 50 tie, so a switch by Sullivan alone would have removed the program. The law gives a dollar-for-dollar credit that for any taxable year shall not exceed $1,700 for gifts that pay Private school tuition at secular and religious schools. The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty wrote that Congress has entangled government and religion in ways our Founders warned against and that the national school voucher program alone is projected to add $26 billion to the national deficit over the next ten years. The National Catholic Educational Association noted it does not offer religious liberty protections or guarantee a participating private school's independence, K-12 Dive reported.
- Sullivan Cast One of the 50 Votes That Created the Voucher Tax Credit. Later on July 1, 2025, Sullivan voted yes on H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote. The credit shall apply to taxable years ending after December 31, 2026, for families with incomes up to 300 percent of the area median. In October 2026 the Treasury Department, led by Scott Bessent, whom Sullivan voted to confirm, issued rules under which a State must submit an advance election on Form 15714 on or before January 1, 2027 to take part.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm the Homeland Security Secretaries Who Carried Out and Defended Immigration Arrests at Houses of Worship. Sullivan voted to confirm Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security on January 25, 2025 and Markwayne Mullin on March 23, 2026. For more than thirty years, the U.S. government largely refrained from immigration enforcement at houses of worship. The administration ended that policy on January 20, 2025, and Eleven days later, then-Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello issued a more detailed policy memo letting supervisors approve operations with no “bright line rules” to cabin their discretion, a policy Noem's and then Mullin's department defended in court. Twenty-seven religious groups sued, saying the new policy is spreading fear of raids, thus lowering attendance at worship services, and on October 20, 2026 an appeals court held that Plaintiffs' members likely face imminent harm from increased enforcement at their houses of worship and sent the case back to the trial court. ICE also barred clergy from detainees in Illinois until A federal judge subsequently ordered ICE to permit pastoral visits, and Minnesota clergy won an injunction requiring a workable clergy-access policy.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm the Secretary of State Whose Department Cut Off Catholic Refugee Agencies. On January 20, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state; he was confirmed 99 to 0. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the government abruptly halted funding for its refugee resettlement program, and The halt resulted in layoffs of 50 people in the conference. Catholic Charities agencies have both laid off employees, and halted their refugee resettlement programs, NCR reported. The refugee ceiling fell to up to 7,500 refugees for 2026, from up to 125,000 refugees in 2025.
What the Religious Freedom Decisions Dan Sullivan Backed Mean for Alaska
- Vouchers in Alaska. Alaska and Nevada formally opted into the program, Ballotpedia reported, so Alaskans who give to scholarship groups can claim the federal credit for private and religious school tuition starting with the 2027 tax year, under the law Sullivan cast a deciding vote to keep intact.
- Churches and immigrant members. The houses-of-worship policy applies in Alaska as in every state: congregations that host on-site foodbanks, meal programs, homeless shelters and other support services see people stay away, the 27 religious groups said in their suit, AP reported.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dan Sullivan on Religious freedom
What is Dan Sullivan's record on religious freedom under Trump?
Dan Sullivan cast a deciding vote to keep the 2025 law's federal tax credit for private and religious school tuition, which the Baptist Joint Committee says entangled government and religion. He voted to confirm Kristi Noem and Markwayne Mullin, whose department allowed immigration arrests at houses of worship and barred clergy from detainees, and Marco Rubio, whose department cut off Catholic refugee agencies.
Can ICE make arrests at churches?
Yes, under the policy carried out by the Homeland Security Department of Kristi Noem and Markwayne Mullin, both confirmed with Dan Sullivan's votes: ICE supervisors may approve operations at houses of worship with no “bright line rules”. An appeals court found in October 2026 that religious groups' members likely face imminent harm and returned their case to the trial court.
Did Alaska opt into the federal school voucher tax credit?
Yes. Alaska and Nevada formally opted into the program, Ballotpedia reported, under the tax credit that Dan Sullivan cast a deciding vote to keep in the 2025 law. The credit begins with tax years ending after December 31, 2026.
Last updated: 2026-10-25