​Shutdown politics have taken center stage in Washington. Closely following that will be the annual consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act, which may include hot-button issues such as the Credit Card Competition Act. Against that backdrop, DCUC is closely monitoring other issues that may not be as headline-grabbing but are nonetheless important to defense credit unions.

Washington may be at a standstill, but the Defense Credit Union Council’s advocacy is moving full speed ahead. While federal agencies lock their doors, DCUC is on Capitol Hill ensuring our military community’s financial needs aren’t ignored. Just this month, I sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to include the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 and Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2025 in the final defense budget—permanent fixes so servicemembers never miss a paycheck due to political gridlock.

​DCUC’s growth and results have outpaced our expectations for 2025. With the tremendous support of our members and partners, DCUC successfully closed 7 out of 8 strategic objectives outlined in our three-year plan, just 15 months following board approval in March 2024. Reaching this milestone exemplifies the strength of our collective commitment and the power of a results-driven association.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the federal government shutdown continues, the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) has issued a renewed call to Congress for swift action to protect the financial stability of U.S. servicemembers and their families.

In a letter sent to House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, Jason Stverak, DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer, urged lawmakers to include the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 and the Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2025 in the final Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).​

“Those who defend our nation deserve financial certainty and should never be used as bargaining chips in a budget standoff,” says Stverak. “Including these provisions in the NDAA will ensure that our servicemembers and their families are never again left in financial limbo because of a government shutdown.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) hosted its weekly press call Monday ahead of the government shutdown to share how credit unions were preparing to support servicemembers, veterans, federal employees, and their families; see more in Military Times’ coverage here. DCUC also issued a letter to Congress addressing concerns about Coast Guard pay, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.

Since that time, DCUC has been providing routine updates to its member credit unions and engaging with its Military Advocacy Committee, which gathered industry-wide CEOs and credit unions’ government affairs officers on Thursday, October 2, to share insights and best practices.

DCUC provides the following update:

Let’s face it, the issue of banks selling to credit unions has proven to be unfortunately durable, particularly on Capitol Hill. It came up early and often during the tax reform debate earlier this year; a number of credit union friends, particularly those with their hands on the pen as the One Big Beautiful Bill was being drafted, explicitly told credit union advocates that “you are going to have to deal with this. It’s not something that most of Congress agrees with credit unions on.”

​As Congress returns to session in fall 2025, the defense credit union community can take pride in recent advocacy wins and prepare for the challenges ahead. The Defense Credit Union Council’s proactive, bipartisan efforts have protected servicemembers’ financial interests and ensured credit unions have a voice at the policy table. At the same time, DCUC remains clear-eyed about the work to be done. The late-2025 legislative landscape presents both opportunities and threats—from safeguarding military financial protections to positioning credit unions for future innovation. In this outlook, we recap the recent victories and map out the key policy priorities on the horizon as Congress gets back to work.