A cap on what families pay for child care is going away, with both Alaska senators' votes

A federal rule that could raise what low-income families pay for child care is staying on the books, after the U.S. Senate declined Thursday to overturn it, 47-52. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both voted to let it stand.

Here's what the rule does. In 2024, the federal government capped the share of income a family on child care assistance could be charged out of pocket at 7 percent. Before that cap, some states billed families as much as 27 percent of their income. The new rule removes those 2024 requirements and hands the decisions back to states, meaning Alaska and others can again set their own copayment levels, higher or lower.

It's pitched as flexibility. The Department of Health and Human Services frames the change as loosening federal mandates and letting states design their own programs. That's the argument Murkowski has made before on child care: after a 2025 hearing, she said any solution "must be flexible to meet the different needs and circumstances across the states and among families."

Critics say flexibility is another word for exposure. The 2024 rule also let states pay providers based on enrollment rather than daily attendance, steadying their income, and sped up eligibility so families got help faster. Rolling it back, opponents argue, leaves families facing higher costs and providers with shakier finances. Neither Alaska senator gave a reason for the vote in the record.

What it means for Alaskans depends on the state. The cap is gone federally, but Alaska sets its own copay and billing rules, and the state's Child Care Program Office is separately taking family and provider feedback on exactly those rules right now.