On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan cast one of the 50 votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed only with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote. Its student-loan section ended Grad PLUS loans for new borrowers, capped what parents and graduate students can borrow, and created a repayment plan that will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level. On June 24, 2026, he voted against taking up a resolution to overturn the Education Department rule that carries out those limits.
Sullivan also voted to confirm Linda McMahon as education secretary and Nicholas Kent as under secretary. Their department ended the SAVE repayment plan, whose Alaska borrowers moving to the new plan face an average increase of $2,414 a year, according to the Center for American Progress.
Dan Sullivan's Votes and Confirmations on Student Loans
- Sullivan Cast One of the 50 Votes That Ended Grad PLUS Loans and Raised Payments for Low-Income Borrowers. On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted yes on H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President's vote, so it would have failed without his. Since July 1, 2026, a graduate or professional student shall not be eligible to receive a Federal Direct PLUS Loan under this part. A graduate student may borrow in any academic year or its equivalent shall be $20,500, and the yearly limit for borrowing by all parents of that dependent student shall be $20,000. The new Repayment Assistance Plan will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level and extends the maximum repayment term from the current 10-25 years to 30 years, the Institute for College Access and Success found. For loans made from July 1, 2027, a borrower who loses a job shall not be eligible to defer such loan under subparagraph (B) or (D) of paragraph (2), the unemployment and economic hardship deferments.
- Sullivan Voted to Keep the Education Department's Rule Carrying Out the Loan Caps in June 2026. On June 24, 2026, Sullivan voted no on taking up S.J.Res. 196, a resolution to overturn the Education Department rule establishing new loan limits for graduate students, professional students, and parents along with the new repayment plan. The motion failed 45 to 52. The Center for American Progress found the graduate limits will create financing gaps for 13 percent of master’s degree borrowers and 46 percent of professional degree borrowers, forcing many borrowers to turn to more expensive private loans. The rule took effect July 1, 2026, and although a federal judge paused the part that left nursing and some other health programs out of the higher professional limit, her ruling does not stop loan caps from going into effect.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm Linda McMahon and Nicholas Kent, Whose Department Restarted Collections and Ended the SAVE Plan. On March 3, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Linda McMahon as secretary of education, and on August 1, 2025 he voted to confirm Nicholas Kent as under secretary in charge of student aid. In 2025 the department said it would resume collecting payments from federal student loan borrowers in default for the first time since 2020, while nearly 2 million federal student loan borrowers who applied for a payment plan aligned to their income are stuck in a backlog. In March 2026 it notified 7.5 million student loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE repayment plan that the plan would end. There are more than 9 million student loan borrowers currently in default.
What the Student Loan Changes Dan Sullivan Voted For Mean for Alaska Borrowers
- Higher monthly payments. Alaska borrowers moved from SAVE to the new Repayment Assistance Plan face an average increase of $2,414 a year, according to Center for American Progress estimates. That is an average for borrowers who move from SAVE, not for every Alaska borrower.
- By degree. The estimated yearly increase for those Alaska borrowers is $2,397, $2,468 and $2,374 for borrowers with some college, a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree.
- Graduate and professional students. Alaska students starting graduate school since July 1, 2026 can no longer use Grad PLUS loans, and CAP estimates the caps leave financing gaps for 13 percent of master’s degree borrowers and 46 percent of professional degree borrowers nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dan Sullivan on Student debt
What is Dan Sullivan's record on student debt under Trump?
Dan Sullivan voted for the 2025 tax and spending law that ended Grad PLUS loans for new borrowers and created a repayment plan that requires payments even from borrowers far below the poverty line. He voted against taking up a resolution to overturn the rule that carries out the loan caps, which failed 45 to 52. He voted to confirm Linda McMahon, whose department ended the SAVE plan, and Alaska borrowers moving off SAVE face an average increase of $2,414 a year.
Did Dan Sullivan vote to cap student loans for graduate students and parents?
Yes. Dan Sullivan voted for H.R. 1 on July 1, 2025, and the law caps graduate borrowing at $20,500 a year and ends Grad PLUS loans. The Center for American Progress found that the caps are forcing many borrowers to turn to more expensive private loans.
Will student loan payments go up for Alaskans under the new repayment plan?
Dan Sullivan voted for the law that created the Repayment Assistance Plan and voted to confirm the education officials who moved SAVE borrowers to it, and for many Alaska borrowers payments will rise: CAP estimates the average yearly increase for those leaving SAVE at $2,414. The plan extends the maximum repayment term from the current 10-25 years to 30 years.
Last updated: 2026-10-25