WASHINGTON—After a week’s recess, both the Senate and House are back in session this week with a busy schedule that includes a housing finance reform hearing at which one trade group rep will testify.
Both CUNA and NAFCU said they will be focused on a two-day Senate Banking Committee hearing on housing finance reform that begins today.
“We will be engaged in that meeting,” said CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy officer Eli Joseph.
Ready to Testify
NAFCU, too, will be focused on sharing credit unions' perspective, with Executive Vice President Of Government Affairs and General Counsel Carrie Hunt delivering the trade association’s first testimony of the 116th Congress on Wednesday
During her testimony, NAFCU said Hunt will reiterate the association's core principles for what it wants to see in any final reform measures.
The housing reform hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday are set to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
“NAFCU has led efforts to ensure credit unions' unfettered access to the secondary mortgage market in any housing finance reform, and has urged the Trump administration and Congress to work together on a comprehensive solution,” the trade association stated.
Meeting With Treasury
NAFCU also has meetings scheduled with Treasury Counselor Craig Phillips and Federal Housing Finance Agency Acting Director Joseph Otting this week. NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger, Vice President of Legislative Affairs Brad Thaler, Director of Regulatory Affairs Ann Kossachev and Hunt will meet today with Phillips. On Wednesday, the group will also meet with Otting.
Today, the House Financial Services Committee is set to mark up a number of bills, including one related to serving marijuana-related businesses. CUNA said it will be closely following events in the meeting, particularly the mark up of HR 1595, The SAFE Banking Act of 2019; and HR 1500, The Consumers First Act.
Also of note in Washington this week:
- Tuesday, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on administering disaster recovery funds in the wake of recent hurricanes. Wednesday, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing on the challenges of offering retirement benefits.
- On Thursday, the Commerce Department will release its GDP data.