For a New York borrower shifted off SAVE and onto the Repayment Assistance Plan, the yearly bill rises $2,483 on average, by CAP's count. Nick LaLota voted for the law that created that plan on July 3, 2025. His May 22 yea was one the House bill could not lose.
The law ends Grad PLUS loans for graduate students. Parent borrowing is capped at $65,000 per student. LaLota's 2025 budget votes, either of which would have left the resolution tied and failing had he switched, set a $330 billion deficit-reduction target for the education committee.
Nick LaLota's Votes on Student Loans and Repayment
- LaLota Voted to End Grad PLUS and Cap Parent Loans. Nick LaLota's aye helped the House okay the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 3, 2025, by 218 to 214. Graduate PLUS loans end under it. Parents borrowing for a child's college face a ceiling of $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student over all. For loans made from July 2026, borrowers are steered into the Repayment Assistance Plan instead of the older income-driven options. TICAS warns the plan "will require payments from even those earning far below the poverty level." New America concludes that "those with the lowest incomes will face higher monthly bills" than before.
- LaLota's Deciding May Vote Created the Costlier Repayment Plan. The House version of H.R. 1 won 215 to 214 on May 22, 2025, with one present, and LaLota's yea was part of that edge. That bill set up "the income-based Repayment Assistance Plan," and the final law kept it. Under the final law, CAP puts the national average added cost of the SAVE-to-RAP switch at $2,163 a year. Its review of the final law's graduate caps finds a gap between federal loans and costs for 46 percent of professional-program borrowers and 13 percent of master's borrowers. Many will turn to "more expensive private loans."
- Two Deciding LaLota Budget Votes Gave the Education Committee a $330 Billion Target. LaLota said yes to H.Con.Res. 14 on February 25, 2025, adopted 217 to 215. He said yes again on April 10, 2025, when the final text passed 216 to 214. His switch on either one makes a tie, which fails. The plan told the Education and Workforce Committee to "reduce the deficit by not less than $330,000,000,000". CAP says the law LaLota voted for on July 3, 2025 "takes away about $300 billion in federal support" that helps low- and middle-income students afford college.
What Nick LaLota's Student Loan Votes Cost New York Borrowers
- SAVE-to-RAP switch costs the average New York borrower $2,483 a year. CAP's state table shows New York borrowers going from SAVE to the Repayment Assistance Plan paying $2,483 more a year on average. That is $320 above the national average of $2,163. The extra money comes out of rent, groceries and savings.
- Many New York graduate students who borrow more than the caps must turn to private loans. With Grad PLUS gone, New York graduate students borrow under the law's new federal caps. CAP finds 46 percent of professional-degree borrowers nationally will have a financing gap, as will 13 percent of master's borrowers. Many must cover the gap with private loans, which cost more, and some lose access altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nick LaLota on Student debt
What is Nick LaLota's record on student debt under Trump?
Nick LaLota voted for the 2025 budget resolution and for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in May and July 2025, and his votes decided the budget and the May bill. Under the law, Grad PLUS is gone, Parent PLUS has a ceiling, and new loans lose the old income-driven plans. The average New York borrower switched from SAVE pays $2,483 more a year, CAP estimates.
Did Nick LaLota vote to raise student loan payments?
Yes. Nick LaLota's yea on May 22, 2025 helped launch the Repayment Assistance Plan, which the House version introduced and the enacted law retained. New America's analysis finds borrowers with the least income pay more each month under it. In New York, the average borrower moved off SAVE pays $2,483 more a year.
How much can a Long Island graduate student borrow under the law Nick LaLota voted for?
The law Nick LaLota voted for ends Grad PLUS and caps most graduate borrowing at $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total. Professional students, such as future doctors or lawyers, top out at $50,000 a year and $200,000. For parents, the limit is $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student.
Last updated: 2026-10-27