WASHINGTON — Repeated government funding fights are likely to slow — and potentially reshape — how credit-union priorities move through Congress this year, according to Jason Stverak, chief advocacy officer at the Defense Credit Union Council.
Stverak said the recurring threat of shutdowns is like “trying to start and run a race after the starting gun keeps getting delayed.”
With the House expected to be in session only about 125 days and the Senate about 140 days this year — including time after the election — the legislative window was already narrow before the latest funding standoff.
If Congress becomes trapped in a cycle of short-term funding extensions, Stverak said lawmakers will have little time to move bills through “regular order.”
Instead, key priorities will likely have to be attached to must-pass legislation, with the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) emerging again as the most likely vehicle. DCUC is already working with members and staff to identify credit-union priorities that could be folded into that process.
Asked what one priority DCUC would most like to see enacted this session, Stverak pointed to modernization of the Member Business Lending (MBL) cap. He said changes are critical not only for defense credit unions serving active-duty members and veterans launching small businesses, but also for any credit union seeking to better support local entrepreneurs and small-business growth.