Student Loan Delinquency and Voting Line: What We Know

Of all the news about how Trump’s policies increase costs for Americans, little has been said about the administration’s student loan repayment policy, or how its lack of it will negatively affect borrowers who vote for leaders.

In fact, when Bankrate combined a mid-May analysis from the New York Federal Reserve with votes on election night, the conclusion was clear. Conversely, the five states with the lowest rate of delinquency all came in for defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

There are no chicken or egg challenges. According to the data, state student loan holders supporting Trump were already worse than their peers elsewhere, but has it been worsened by the Trump administration’s reduction in repayment safety net?

No matter how you slice it, student loan borrowers supporting Trump are suffering

We can quickly reach one objective conclusion. The state with the most obvious student loan delinquency fees in the first quarter of 2025 is one of the states that were Republican red last November. After all, their man won the White House.

Conversely, it could also be argued that states with the lowest rate of delinquency are unlikely to expect much help from Washington, D.C.

Federal student loan default crisis and “big and beautiful bill”

Of course, delinquency leads to default. And we now know how the Trump administration treats borrowers who are significantly behind in paying off their loans. Some of our recent actions in 2025 include:

However, the action referenced is merely a first step, not a long-term solution.

The “big and beautiful” budget adjustment package encapsulates many of President Trump’s legislative agenda, including a push to restructure federal student loan repayments. The bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025, will have a dramatic downstream impact on new borrowers, as student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz detailed details on bank rates.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), whose nation has the seventh highest federal loan delinquency rate in the country and the fourth lowest education achievement, is chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (Help);

Bankrate requested an interview with Cassidy and support his colleagues Rand Paul (R-KY), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Al), representing similarly ranked states. We also contacted the House Committee on Education and Workers’ Membership, Rep. James Commer (R-KY) and Julia Letreau (R-LA), who did not hear any responses from these elected officials at the time of publication.

What does this mean to you?

Regardless of which party has your support, if you are a student loan borrower who is struggling with, you are probably feeling an additional pressure.

“We’ve heard from many Trumps (supporters) who have voted for Trump who are currently experiencing pain and candidly regret their choice,” says Persis Yu, the lawyer who is deputy executive director and manager of the Student Borrower Protection Center. “Certain borrowers stood out against me and she told me, ‘I thought he would make things better, and now he made everything worse.”

Yu explains that the borrower has been fired multiple times and relies on income-driven repayments to keep monthly fees at a percentage of her discretionary income. After resigning from health issues, the borrower became dependent on Social Security benefits.

“In all of this chaos, it is people who are working class families who are hit hardest,” says Yu. “Again, people trying to feed their kids, pay their bills, and even pay student loans.” The reality is that their money will only go so far.

What is your next step?

You may feel like you have no choice but to wait. But take it from a certified student loan counselor – take as much control as you can. Here are some practical steps to perform: