Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for governor of Georgia, supports the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, whose new repayment plan raises the average Georgia borrower's payment by $1,993 a year for those moved off the SAVE plan, according to the Center for American Progress. His campaign told Fox News on April 27, 2026 that he supports the bill, "Period."
The same law ended Grad PLUS loans and capped Parent PLUS loans from July 1, 2026, leaving many graduate and professional students and parents to fill the gap with private loans, and it eliminates unemployment and economic-hardship deferments for loans made from July 2027.
Rick Jackson's Support for the Law's Student Loan Changes
- Jackson Backs the Law That Raises Loan Payments for Borrowers Moved Off the SAVE Plan. Rick Jackson's campaign spokesman, Mike Schrimpf, told Fox News Digital on April 27, 2026: "Rick supports the Big Beautiful Bill. Period." That law replaces the income-driven repayment plans with a Repayment Assistance Plan for new loans from July 1, 2026 and moves existing borrowers off the closed plans by July 1, 2028. The Center for American Progress estimates the switch will raise loan bills by $2,163 a year on average for borrowers moving from SAVE to the new plan, and that a single borrower earning $35,000 in 2026 who owed nothing under SAVE "will owe $88 per month under RAP." TICAS notes the new plan stretches the longest repayment period to 30 years.
- The Law Jackson Backs Ended Grad PLUS Loans and Capped Graduate Borrowing. The law Rick Jackson supports ended Grad PLUS loans for new borrowers from July 1, 2026 and set annual and lifetime caps on federal loans for graduate and professional students. The Center for American Progress projects the caps "will create financing gaps for 13 percent of master’s degree borrowers and 46 percent of professional degree borrowers," who must turn to costlier private loans or give up on the degree.
- The Law Jackson Backs Capped Parent PLUS Loans and Cut Parents Off From Income-Based Repayment. The law Rick Jackson supports caps Parent PLUS borrowing at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student from July 1, 2026, and new Parent PLUS loans have no income-driven repayment option. New America expects the caps "will likely push some families into the private market," where loans carry fewer protections, and the Center for American Progress notes that parents who borrow will have no income-driven plan at all.
- The Law Jackson Backs Removes Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Lose Their Jobs. For loans made from July 1, 2027, the law Rick Jackson supports eliminates unemployment and economic-hardship deferments and caps long-term forbearance, and it delays two rules that protect students defrauded by their colleges or left stranded when a school closes. A borrower who loses a job will have fewer ways to pause payments and avoid default, according to the Hechinger Report, and the Center for American Progress notes the law delays the two consumer protection rules until 2035.
What the Student Loan Changes Rick Jackson Supports Cost Georgia Borrowers
- Georgia borrowers moved off SAVE pay $1,993 more a year. The Center for American Progress estimates that the average Georgia borrower moved from SAVE to the new plan will pay $1,993 more a year, money that comes out of rent, car payments and child care.
- Georgia borrowers with bachelor's degrees pay $2,483 more a year. By degree, the same estimates show Georgia borrowers moved off SAVE paying $1,796 more a year with some college, $2,483 more with a bachelor's degree and $1,644 more with a graduate degree.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rick Jackson on Student debt
What is Rick Jackson's record on student debt under Trump?
Rick Jackson's campaign said in April 2026 that he supports the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which replaces income-driven repayment with a costlier plan, ends Grad PLUS loans, caps Parent PLUS loans and removes deferments for borrowers who lose their jobs. The Center for American Progress estimates Georgia borrowers moved off SAVE will pay $1,993 more a year on average.
How much more will Georgia student loan borrowers pay under the law Rick Jackson supports?
Under the law Rick Jackson supports, Georgia borrowers who move from SAVE to the new Repayment Assistance Plan will pay an estimated $1,993 more a year on average, and bachelor's degree holders about $2,483 more. Nationally, the Center for American Progress puts the average increase at $2,163.
Does the law Rick Jackson backs make it harder to pay for graduate school?
Yes. The law Rick Jackson backs ended Grad PLUS loans in July 2026 and capped graduate borrowing, and the Center for American Progress projects that nearly half of professional degree borrowers will face a gap between what they can borrow federally and what school costs.
Last updated: 2026-10-26