WASHINGTON– Both America’s Credit Unions and the Defense Credit Union Council have launched digital ad campaigns on Capitol Hill expressing opposition to the Credit Card Competition Act.
The campaigns coincide with ACU’s Governmental Affairs Conference, which has drawn approximately 6,000 people to Washington this week.America’s Credit Unions is sponsoring ads in Politico Morning Money and The Hill Morning Report to urge lawmakers to oppose the CCCA.
As the CU Daily reported earlier, the ad buy includes digital video, online radio, and targeted newsletter placements running nationwide, directing consumers to contact lawmakers through an advocacy action alert opposing the proposed credit card mandates.
‘Solution in Search of a Problem’
“The Durbin-Marshall credit card mandates are a solution in search of a problem that will ultimately make credit less accessible and everyday purchases less secure for middle class families,” ACU President and CEO Scott Simpson said in a statement. “Credit unions are hearing directly from their consumer members who are concerned about fraud, rising costs, and maintaining access to safe and affordable credit. This campaign ensures that consumers and policymakers alike understand what is at stake.”
Digital ads are running in the districts of more than 70 lawmakers in both the House and Senate, with additional placements in the Washington, D.C., market during GAC.
DCUC Running Campaign
Separately, the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) has launched what it said is a “high-impact, targeted” advocacy advertising campaign in POLITICO Influence that also expresses its opposition to the Durbin–Marshall Credit Card Competition Act and recent credit card rate cap proposals.
The ads are to run through March 6.
The in-newsletter ads warn policymakers that the proposals would “increase fraud risk, restrict access to affordable credit, eliminate rewards programs, and hand a significant financial windfall to corporate mega-retailers, all at the expense of consumers, small businesses, community financial institutions, and military families,” DCUC said.
‘Far-Reaching Consequences’
“Congress must fully grasp the far-reaching consequences of rewriting our nation’s payments system,” DCUC President and CEO Anthony Hernandez said in a statement. “The Durbin-Marshall proposal and sweeping interest rate cap measures would not reform the system; they would destabilize it. These policies threaten to weaken fraud protections, restrict access to credit, and disproportionately harm underserved communities, servicemembers, veterans, and working families who rely on credit unions for safe, mission-driven financial services.
“Arbitrary credit card rate caps would reduce access to affordable, reliable, and safe credit across America, particularly for those with limited options,” Hernandez added. “These proposals risk triggering a cascade of consequences that would hurt the very people Congress aims to protect.”
Hearing Directly from Fis
DCUC said the campaign directs lawmakers and key stakeholders to DCUC’s formal policy statement detailing its position and long-standing commitment to safeguarding the nation’s credit union members from policies that could erode financial security and consumer protections.
