Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, pledges on her campaign website to protect the "Working Family Tax Cuts," the House's name for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That law replaces income-driven student loan repayment with a new plan that the Center for American Progress estimates will raise payments for Minnesota borrowers leaving the SAVE plan by $2,428 a year on average.
The same law ended Grad PLUS loans for new graduate students, capped Parent PLUS loans at $20,000 a year and ends unemployment deferments for new loans, which leaves Minnesota students and families with fewer federal options and more reliance on private loans.
Michele Tafoya's Pledge to Protect the Student Loan Changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
- Tafoya Pledged to Protect a Law That Raises Minnesota Borrowers' Payments by $2,428 a Year. As of October 25, 2026, Michele Tafoya's Senate campaign website pledges to "Protect working families' tax cuts" and says "The far left wants to repeal the Working Family Tax Cuts that just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets." The House of Representatives' April 2026 resolution on the law states that Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is commonly known as the "Working Families Tax Cuts." That pledge covers the law's student loan changes: it creates a Repayment Assistance Plan for new loans from July 1, 2026 and requires borrowers in SAVE and other older income-driven plans to move before July 1, 2028. The Center for American Progress estimates that moving from SAVE to the new plan raises student loan bills for Minnesota borrowers by $2,428 a year on average. In its example, a single borrower earning $35,000 per year in 2026 would have had $0 payments under SAVE but will owe $88 per month under the new plan, and the Institute for College Access and Success says the plan will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Ended Grad PLUS Loans for New Graduate Students. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect ended Grad PLUS loans for new graduate and professional students from July 1, 2026 and capped their federal borrowing at $20,500 a year for graduate students and $50,000 for professional students. The Center for American Progress found the new 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 Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Capped Parent PLUS Loans at $20,000 a Year. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect limits Parent PLUS borrowing for loans from July 1, 2026 to $20,000 per student per year, with a $65,000 per student total cap. New America says the caps will likely push some families into the private market, and the Center for American Progress notes that Parent PLUS loans that originated on or after July 1, 2026 will no longer be eligible for an income-driven repayment pathway.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Ends Unemployment Deferments and Delays Protections for Defrauded Students Until 2035. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect ends unemployment and economic-hardship deferments for loans made on or after July 1, 2027 and caps forbearance at nine months in any 24-month period; it also delays the rules on borrower defense to repayment and closed schools. The Hechinger Report notes that economic and unemployment-related deferments will be eliminated and long-term forbearances will be capped, so a borrower who loses a job will have fewer ways to pause payments. The Center for American Progress says the law will delay the implementation of two key consumer protection regulations until 2035, for students misled by their colleges or whose schools closed.
What the Loan Changes Michele Tafoya Backs Cost Minnesota Borrowers
- Higher payments by degree. The Center for American Progress estimates that moving from SAVE to the new Repayment Assistance Plan raises annual payments for Minnesota borrowers by $1,796 with some college or an associate degree, $3,208 with a bachelor's degree and $2,388 with a graduate or professional degree.
- Lowest-income borrowers. Under the law, those with the lowest incomes will face higher monthly bills than they would under the current system, New America found, and the maximum repayment term stretches to 30 years under the new plan, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michele Tafoya on Student debt
What is Michele Tafoya's record on student debt under Trump?
Michele Tafoya pledges to protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which replaces income-driven repayment with a plan the Center for American Progress estimates costs Minnesota borrowers leaving SAVE more each year. The law also ended Grad PLUS loans for new graduate students, capped Parent PLUS loans and ends unemployment deferments for new loans. New America counts close to $300 billion in cuts to higher education in the law.
Will student loan payments go up in Minnesota under the law Michele Tafoya backs?
Under the law Michele Tafoya backs, most Minnesota borrowers leaving SAVE will pay more, and Minnesota borrowers with a bachelor's degree will pay $3,208 more a year on average, the largest increase of any degree group in the state, by the Center for American Progress's estimate.
Can graduate students in Minnesota still take out Grad PLUS loans?
Not new borrowers under the law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect: graduate students will no longer be able to take out Graduate PLUS loans after July 1, 2026, and the law caps federal borrowing for professional students, such as medical and law students, at $50,000 a year.
Last updated: 2026-10-25