By SUZANNE DOWNING
April 10, 2026 – The Alaska House voted Friday to reduce the 2026 Permanent Fund dividend from an estimated statutory amount of roughly $3,800 to about $1,450, as lawmakers wrangled the operating budget during floor session.
The vote on CSHB 263(FIN) came after lawmakers adopted an amendment setting the dividend far below the amount called for under the traditional statutory formula. The measure passed 23–17. The Legislature has not followed the law since 2017.
Three Republicans — Rep. Jeremy Bynum of Ketchikan, Rep. Will Stapp of Fairbanks, and Rep. Dan Saddler of Eagle River — joined Democrats in supporting the lower dividend amount.
Under the statutory formula, the dividend would have been approximately $3,800 this year, depending on final revenue calculations. The House budget instead uses a reduced payout, redirecting funds toward government spending.
Republicans opposing the reduction argued the move once again ignores state law and breaks expectations with Alaskans who have long supported following the statutory formula. They also noted that the Legislature has repeatedly reduced dividends in recent years while state spending continues to grow.
Democrats say the reduced amount is necessary to balance the operating budget without deeper cuts to state services.
The vote occurred during second reading of the operating budget, labeled “APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET; AMEND; SUPP,” where Amendment No. 1 as amended was adopted. The roll call showed 23 yeas and 17 nays.
Rep. Kevin McCabe initially introduced an amendment to fund a full statutory Permanent Fund dividend, saying the proposal was intended to force a clear debate about legislative priorities.
But the amendment was later modified on the floor after Rep. Calvin Schrage offered a change that reduced the dividend to roughly $1,500. When two Republicans joined the majority to adopt that change, the proposal no longer reflected McCabe’s full-dividend intent.
McCabe then attempted to withdraw the amendment, arguing it was being used to lock in a lower payout, but the House blocked his request, with Rep. Jeremy Bynum siding with the majority to keep it in place. The revised amendment reduced the dividend while still relying on the Constitutional Budget Reserve to balance the budget.
The reduced dividend now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to revise the spending plan. Any differences between the chambers would then be negotiated in a conference committee.
The final dividend amount will not be set until both chambers agree on a budget and the governor signs the appropriations bill. The governor is not allowed to add back to a reduced dividend.
18 thoughts on “House cuts PFD down from $3800 to $1450”
Pretty simple folks they don’t give a crap about us they will continue to steal our dividend. Vote them out of office no more chances to follow the law. They are legislative thief’s. We all live within out income why can’t they
The only honest way to increase the dividend, is to trim spending in some other place. To encourage the legislators to do that, the people must speak publicly and communicate to their representatives a specific area to trim.
We must never suck out of the CBR (the state’s emergency savings account) to artificially jack-up the size of the PFD.
I would be grateful if I could get a $1000 PFD. Unfortunately, my PFDs for the past 11 years, have all been $0, because I’ve always had to send my uncashed check back to the Dept. of Revenue as a donation, because the CBR has not been replenished as the law requires.
“……..The only honest way to increase the dividend, is to trim spending in some other place. To encourage the legislators to do that……….We must never suck out of the CBR (the state’s emergency savings account) to artificially jack-up the size of the PFD………..”
Thank you, Randy. I agree wholeheartedly. This is why the constitution, and affirmed by the Supreme Court, was written to ensure that all state spending has to compete during the budget process with other spending.
If they followed the statutory language there’d be no need to raid the Constitutional Budget Reserve. The more people cheerlead for seizing of the statutory PFD the more the leaches will suck you dry. The spending of the CBR is only an accounting trick to fool the gullible into believing that the insatiable desire to spend more money isn’t happening. Governor Walker opened Pandoras box, the Legislature played their part by grabbing what they could, and the AK Supreme Court ignored the law and the meaning of words to give them cover to do so.
It’s entirely foreseeable what will happen now since they’ve tricked enough people, even some who claim to be against excessive government spending. They will seize the remaining PFD, they will spend the CBR, they will institute a broad based tax or taxes on income and spending…all because there is no way to fill the belly of the insatiable beast.
Steve-O, PERFECT description of the situation!
Buck up and pay some taxes like most others in the country who are not lucky enough to live (probably by chance) in a little petrostate. It’s really nauseating to see a bunch of entitled Alaskans who think it’s their birthright to live without taxation of any kind, while receiving thousands in handouts from the government every year. The manna falls from Heaven yet you complain that it’s too meager!
Do your part to fund your government. When you do, you will have earned the right to complain. But until then, please put a cork in it.
Says the phony who appropriated the name,of a historical figure, put a cork in it, yourself, and then duct tape that in place,wrapping your entire head with the tape
“Do your part to fund your government. When you do, you will have earned the right to complain. But until then, please put a cork in it.” Funny, coming from a guy who doesn’t even live in this state, let alone pay any taxes in this state…ironic really.
“It’s really nauseating to see a bunch of entitled Alaskans who think it’s their birthright to live without taxation of any kind,” If you lived in this little petrostate you’d know just how wrong you are about that, but you don’t live here and your ignorance shines through.
“while receiving thousands in handouts from the government every year.” You really shouldn’t disparage all state workers like that, some of them work hard. The amazing part is that you’d have others taxed more than they currently are to provide thousands of government welfare jobs every year.
“most others in the country who are not lucky enough to live (probably by chance) in a little petrostate” Most Alaskans (about 60%) weren’t born here and most likely live here by choice.
Just because you hail from and live in a high tax state doesn’t mean everyone wants to, and we certainly don’t want to hear an outsiders opinion about something they clearly know precious little about.
Wow. You obviously are not a long-time Alaskan. The problem is not that people arent paying taxes ( which isnt true for those of us that live in Alaskan cities where we already pay sales and property taxes). The problem is our greedy legislators that refuse to cut the budget and think it is their right to spend as much as they want by stealing from the fund created by Jay Hammond for every resident of Alaska. You want to keep my PFD money, then pay each and every one of us a lump sump of $25,000 or more and call it good.
And those who are affected (being cut out of the budget) they too also have to agree in common agreement for the good of the state
Currently the people who would be cut will go rally, gather callers to call, email, and testify why their government dependent programs, services, non profit, business are important and beneficial (rolling my eyes)
And this was just a grand show by not only those voting yes but also by the Republican herd plus a lone Donkey Foster voting no. Truthfully none of them (who are no less government dependent than the voters) do they have the courage to take an Ax to the budget and start wracking.
They don’t know what living pay to paycheck is like nor what a PFD end of year Bonus check does for all those Alaskans earning less than 22$ an hour and living financially conservatively.
I wish all those legislators could quit their government dependent jobs and go get a job where they will earn 17$ an hour. Although if they did just quit and go work a job for that wage they’d be just as stupid as someone who told me he thinks 26$ is a great starting wage! HA HA HA HA HA HA . Well! Imagine every Hotel employee, Restaurant worker, grocer employee, gas station attendant all starting out at 26$ an hour!!! Knowing that everyone else who are making 26$ an hour today their wages will be in the thirties and forties and fifties. Will you believe further the man who enthusiastically said that he is a pastor. That’s why members going into these churches their attendance is not enough to be hearing the Word of God when we have pastors who are absent of wisdom like him, the members regularly attending these churches they got to be in the Word of God themselves. Their kitchen tables have the bible open from them reading and learning from it daily not just from a pastor on Sunday morning or their weekly home bible study group they meet.
Thieves. Lawbreakers. Criminals.
We will know we are healing as a state when they would never even think of doing this because they are afraid of prosecution.
(like button) Amen
“House cuts PFD down from $3800 to $1450”
And … Alaskans ‘willingly’ continue to allow this theft to occur, year after year after year.
And … Alaskans don’t have the: guts – courage – brains – will power, to effectively change it.
So(!!!) … Alaskans get what they vote for, grudgingly accepting the consequences for their own poor // selfish actions.
Stapp and Bynum, again. You can repost your “you almost had it’ meme
Don’t leave out Kopp either. He’s gotten predictable over the years.
If we can succeed in ridding ourselves of RCV maybe some of these people won’t end up back in office. One can hope.
I don’t care for Ranked Choice Voting at all. My issue is with people on our side of the aisle that don’t vote. Apparently, they won’t play the hand that’s dealt them so, they fold and leave the game altogether. Many others are apathetic and lazy, weakened by mail-in voting and disillusioned by a government that doesn’t represent the average citizen. As for the PFD and, as a life-long Alaskan, I’ve never considered it an entitlement but, I also know that elected officials are THE last people that should have their hands in that cookie jar. In essence, they’re using it to buy votes. We all know that local economies would be bolstered by those that choose to spend all or part of their PFDs yet, Juneau feels as if they know best on how to spend (waste) it.
What with all the pork barrel projects, why should the PFD be fully funded? After all, the legislators have to fund their own pet projects, many of which very likely personally benefit them.