Payments climb $1,767 per year, on average, for a North Carolina borrower forced from SAVE into the Repayment Assistance Plan, state figures from the Center for American Progress show. That plan was born in the House bill of May 22, 2025, which survived 215 to 214 only because David Rouzer, the 7th District's congressman, voted aye; the final law that kept it got his vote too, on July 3, 2025.
Graduate PLUS is closed to new borrowers under the enacted law, and parent loans now have a ceiling. Months before, Rouzer's two decisive ayes on the 2025 budget resolution gave the education committee a deficit-reduction target of at least $330 billion.
David Rouzer's Votes on Student Loans
- Grad PLUS Gone, Parent Loans Capped, Higher Bills for the Poorest Borrowers: What Rouzer's July 2025 Aye Enacted. Rouzer was a yes on the roll call that finished the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, July 3, 2025, which carried 218 to 214. Graduate PLUS is unavailable to new graduate borrowers, and the most a parent can borrow federally per student is $20,000 a year and $65,000 overall. Income-driven repayment closes to new loans, whose borrowers get the Repayment Assistance Plan instead; TICAS concluded it "will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level," and New America found "those with the lowest incomes will face higher monthly bills" under it.
- A $2,163 Yearly Increase for Borrowers Nationally Under the Repayment Plan Rouzer's One-Vote Margin Created and His July Aye Enacted. Rouzer's aye was one of the 215 that beat 214 on May 22, 2025 (one member answered present), and without it the House bill fails. It created "the income-based Repayment Assistance Plan" that survived into law. CAP calculates that a borrower switching from SAVE to that plan pays $2,163 more per year nationwide. Under the law's new borrowing ceilings, CAP also found that 13 percent of those seeking master's degrees and 46 percent of those in professional programs come up short, which pushes many into "more expensive private loans."
- Two Decisive Rouzer Budget Ayes Assigned College Aid's Committee a $330 Billion Savings Goal. Rouzer was an aye both times H.Con.Res. 14 passed in 2025, by two votes on February 25 (217 to 215) and again by two on April 10 (216 to 214), margins his switch would have turned into tied, failed votes. Its order to the Committee on Education and Workforce: "reduce the deficit by not less than $330,000,000,000". Rouzer's July 3, 2025 aye went to a law that strips about $300 billion of federal aid meant for low- and middle-income college students, the Center for American Progress found.
What David Rouzer's Student Loan Votes Cost North Carolina Borrowers
- Pushed off SAVE, a North Carolina borrower pays $1,767 more every year. For a North Carolina borrower, CAP's state-by-state estimate of the SAVE-to-RAP switch comes to $1,767 a year in added payments, close to $150 a month that teachers, nurses and other graduates still repaying school must find in rent, groceries or savings.
Frequently Asked Questions About David Rouzer on Student debt
What is David Rouzer's record on student debt under Trump?
David Rouzer's student debt record under Trump includes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. His May 2025 aye was needed to pass the House bill that invented the Repayment Assistance Plan, and his July 2025 aye enacted the final law that closed Grad PLUS and capped parent loans. In North Carolina, leaving SAVE for the new plan adds $1,767 a year to the average borrower's payments, by CAP's estimate.
What does David Rouzer's student loan vote cost North Carolina borrowers?
Payments go up $1,767 a year for the average North Carolina borrower moved from SAVE into the plan David Rouzer's votes created, against $2,163 nationwide, according to CAP. TICAS found the new plan charges even borrowers "earning far below the poverty level."
Is Grad PLUS gone for North Carolina graduate students because of David Rouzer's vote?
Yes. Graduate PLUS ended for new borrowers under the law David Rouzer voted for on July 3, 2025, New America reports, and CAP found nearly half of professional-degree students, 46 percent, now face a gap that sends many toward "more expensive private loans."
Last updated: 2026-10-27