By Jason Stverak
August recess is often described as Washington slowing down. For credit unions, that is exactly the wrong way to look at it.
Congress may be out of Washington, but the advocacy battle has simply moved home. Members of Congress are attending district events, meeting with constituents, visiting businesses and listening to the people who will shape their priorities when they return in September.
If credit unions are not in those rooms, someone else will be.
Retailers pushing the so-called Credit Card Competition Act will be there. Fintech companies will be there. Banks will be there. Consumer groups, technology companies and virtually every other industry with business before Congress will be making their case.
Credit unions cannot afford to surrender August.
The First Priority
The first priority must be stopping the so-called CCCA and any attempt to attach interchange mandates to unrelated or must-pass legislation. DCUC has repeatedly opposed these efforts, including attempts to inject interchange provisions into digital-asset legislation and defense policy.
Every credit union leader should ask their senators and representatives directly: Will you oppose the CCCA in every form and on every legislative vehicle?
Do not settle for vague answers.
But advocacy cannot simply mean playing defense. Congress also has opportunities to enact commonsense credit union reforms.
Three Things to Watch
The bipartisan Padilla-Cramer Central Liquidity Facility proposal would strengthen access to emergency liquidity and improve the resilience of the credit union system. DCUC continues to press Congress to enact these reforms, including through the FY2027 NDAA.
The Veterans Member Business Loan Act would remove veteran-owned business loans from the statutory member-business-lending cap while preserving safety-and-soundness requirements. DCUC and The American Legion have urged bipartisan passage because veteran entrepreneurs should not face an artificial barrier when seeking capital from the credit unions ready to serve them.
And as Congress writes the rules governing digital assets, credit unions must demand parity not permission to enter the marketplace years after everyone else. DCUC has urged Congress to explicitly recognize NCUA authority and ensure federally insured credit unions and CUSOs can participate under the same clear rules available to other regulated financial institutions.
Extend an Invitation
These are not abstract Washington issues.
So, invite lawmakers into your credit union. Show them the fraud-prevention systems interchange helps fund. Introduce them to the veteran whose business you financed. Let them meet the military family you helped during a deployment or financial emergency. Explain what unnecessary regulation actually costs.
And attend the town halls. Go to the district offices. Call the legislative directors. Ask for commitments.
DCUC has used August recess before to directly mobilize constituents against harmful interchange proposals because lawmakers’ time at home creates an opportunity that should not be wasted.
Crowded, Fast & Unforgiving
September will be crowded, fast and unforgiving. By the time Congress returns, many decisions will already be taking shape.
Credit unions can either spend August watching that happen—or spend August shaping it.
Congress is home. It is time for the credit union movement to get to work.
Jason Stverak is chief advocacy officer, Defense Credit Union Council.
