WASHINGTON— With Congress back from its August recess, the Defense Credit Union Council and America’s Credit Unions are emphasizing the urgency for lawmakers to act quickly on critical legislative priorities—particularly passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and measures to keep the government funded.
“Congress is back in session and moving quickly, but the calendar is tight. Lawmakers have just 14 working days in September to tackle a long list of priorities,” said DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak.
Stverak noted the threat of a government shutdown, at the end of September, is very real and is dominating discussions in Washington.
“Throughout August, we have urged not only defense credit unions but the broader credit union industry to start preparing for the potential impacts on their members,” Stverak said. “A shutdown could mean missed paychecks for federal employees, disruptions to government contracts, and ripple effects for small businesses. In the coming weeks, we will outline the full range of support we are providing to credit unions so they can be ready to help their members navigate the uncertainty if a shutdown occurs at the end of the month.”
ACU SVP of Advocacy Greg Mesack expects the few weeks in D.C. will be “wild,” if not turbulent.
“Government funding is set to expire on Sept. 30, leaving lawmakers only about 14 legislative days to act—fewer still with Congress breaking for Rosh Hashanah. It’s unclear whether a deal will be reached in time,” Mesack said.
Mesack, too, pointed out credit unions serve a large number of government employees, many of whom would be directly affected if paychecks are delayed.
“That’s why we are watching developments closely and doing everything we can to support efforts to keep the government funded,” he said.
Stverak emphasized the NDAA will be a critical focus in September, with the Senate preparing to debate the bill and nearly 800 amendments submitted. He noted that while an open amendment process is expected, competing priorities such as government funding and judicial confirmations could limit how many amendments are considered.
Stverak warned that the Senate might bypass passing its own version and move directly into conference negotiations with the House. He highlighted strong opposition to the Durbin–Marshall interchange and commissary amendments, stressing their potential to harm credit unions’ ability to serve both military communities and the 144 million members nationwide. Stverak underscored that credit unions will continue pressing leadership to keep these provisions out of the final legislation.
“The NDAA will be one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress tackles in September. The Senate is expected to vote tonight on a motion to proceed with debate,” Stverak said Monday morning.
Mesack said much will depend on whether lawmakers push for a “clean” NDAA to save time.
“While Chairman Wicker (U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee) would likely prefer to avoid amendments altogether, there’s simply too much pent-up demand for that to happen,” Mesack said.
What’s more likely—and very common—is that Republicans and Democrats will strike a bipartisan deal, Mesack said.
“Several positive credit union bills are up for discussion, but the threat of interchange legislation remains,” said Mesack about NDAA amendments. “The much-discussed Marshall–Durbin amendment, which would extend interchange caps, has not yet been formally filed as of last week. A related, narrower amendment dealing with commissary interchange fees has surfaced, but we strongly oppose it, viewing it as unnecessary, irrelevant, and a distraction from real issues.”
Mesack added that Sen. Bill Haggerty’s proposed NDAA amendment would explore expanding deposit insurance coverage for small business transaction accounts.
“Our key message to Sen. Haggerty is that if Congress moves forward, it must do so thoughtfully and ensure banks and credit unions remain on equal footing,” Mesack said. “We’ve raised questions about how expanded coverage could affect the Share Insurance Fund, but if lawmakers decide to increase limits, the policy must apply fairly across the industry.