WASHINGTON-America’s Credit Unions held a briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday for congressional staffers on key issues critical to credit unions, with a majority of the conversation focused on the “credit union difference” and the trade group’s “Don’t Tax My Credit Union campaign.”
According to ACU, the event was well attended by staff from both Republican and Democratic offices, and lasted nearly 45 minutes.
“We had a great briefing with a room full of Congressional staffers today, showing how engaged Congress is on credit union priorities,” Chief Advocacy Officer Carrie Hunt said in a statement. “America’s Credit Unions detailed the credit union difference, the importance of protecting credit unions’ not-for-profit status to serve people and communities, and how mission—not size—defines a credit union. America’s Credit Unions continues to utilize all avenues to advocate with a unified voice for the industry.”
Support for an Independent NCUA
Meanwhile, in the wake of the firing of two members of the NCUA board and deep concerns among many that NCUA could be folded into another regulator, America’s Credit Unions issued a statement expressing its support for the agency’s independence.
“America’s Credit Unions strongly supports a separate regulator for credit unions and supports a three-person board,” said Hunt. “That has been our long-standing position that we have reiterated after the removal of Mr. (Todd) Harper and Ms. (Tanya) Otsuka. We support the NCUA in its role as a custodian of credit union safety and soundness and recognize that the agency needs to function. How and if we support specific agency action will continue to be the reflection of the needs and wants of our members, with positions carefully formulated by our committees and board. This was true yesterday, and it will be true tomorrow.
‘All Tools in the Toolbox’
“ America’s Credit Unions with our more than 4,000 credit union members takes the trust of our members seriously, and use all the tools in our toolbox, whether legislative, legal or educational to further the credit union difference,” Hunt added.
