RECAP: America's Credit Unions Congressional Caucus 2025 Day 1

​America’s Credit Unions Congressional Caucus 2025 Day 1 has concluded, featuring best practices to bring credit union priorities and unified voice directly to lawmakers.
 
Today’s events:

• Current President/CEO Jim Nussle held a fireside chat with incoming President/CEO Scott Simpson
• America’s Credit Unions met with Treasury officials in a Roundtable discussion on GSE reform
• Advocates discussed grassroots movement-building and takeaways from the “Don’t Tax My Credit Union” campaign

 
Tomorrow's event will feature key lawmakers, as well as an economic update from our Chief Economist Curt Long:

• Rep. Sean Casten
• House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams
• Rep. Bryan Steil
• Rep. Janelle Bynum
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise
• Rep. Andy Barr

 
Here are some excerpts/highlights from today’s events for your coverage:
 
Jim Nussle and Scott Simpson Fireside Chat:
 
Scott shared his thoughts about what’s ahead for the credit union industry and how credit unions transcend political ideology:
 
“What’s great about credit unions is that it transcends political ideology. It genuinely does. Not every issue can do that, but the social mission, the heart is fantastic, but there's this kind of private sector business solution that you can deliver,” Simpson said. “I think one of the challenges we have as a national association, as a movement nationally, is we have to make sure that we're always in position to endure wherever that ideological pendulum swings.” – America’s Credit Unions Incoming President/CEO Scott Simpson
 
When asked about how he’ll lead national efforts to protect, empower, and advance the credit union movement, Scott said:
 
“We cannot afford to be anything but world-class advocacy professionals, linked arms, shoulder to shoulder, because we are wildly out-resourced,” he said. “The primary responsibility for us is to convene, to listen, and then go out and find a solution. Then we use our megaphone to scream that solution in state capitals, and Washington, D.C, America’s Credit Unions and the state leagues are doing great work, and my responsibility is to ensure leagues hear and see and are empowered to take advantage of their opportunities.” – America’s Credit Unions Incoming President/CEO Scott Simpson
 
Discussing the importance of continuing work to amplify the life-changing differences credit unions make, especially in the face of banker and credit union opponents attacks, Scott said:
 
“The work [credit unions] do every day changes the lives of people, and you know that. We have to lean into that story, telling the humanity of what we do, because it’s absolutely true, as I’ve seen in my own life, and it transforms lives.” – America’s Credit Unions Incoming President/CEO Scott Simpson
 
Scott described how America’s Credit Unions, advocates, and members have to amplify stories and support policies that support the communities they serve:
 
“We need to have a full understanding of how to unleash the 144 million American credit union members. It’s their undeniable will that they have access to cooperative finance in this country,” he said. “They've made the choice. They don't want that taken away.” – America’s Credit Unions Incoming President/CEO Scott Simpson
 
America’s Credit Unions meeting with Treasury officials on government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) reform:
 
President/CEO Jim Nussle and Head of Regulatory Advocacy James Akin pushed Treasury officials on key messages that regulators should keep in focus on GSEs:

• Keep a true level playing field for every lender.
• Keep mortgage costs steady and predictable for families.
• FHFA must maintain its role as a strong independent regulator, with full oversight and approval of operations, capital requirements, and prudential standards.

Nussle and Akin specifically mentioned several recommendations:

• Maintaining small‑lender “cash window” parity
• Cap guarantee‑fee (g‑fee) increases used to build capital
• Preserve the Uniform Mortgage‑Backed Security (UMBS)
• Create a permanent Small‑Lender Advisory Council

 
Caucus 2025 grassroots advocacy sessions and DTMCU takeaways:
 
Amy Brodersen, President/CEO of Family Focus Federal Credit Union, describing the importance of building a culture of grassroots advocacy:
 
“You don't start a culture of advocacy when you're getting ready to go to war. You do it well ahead in time in starting to plant those seeds, and it’s very important to start from the top down. Get your board members involved, your team involved, and you explain to them the importance of advocacy. The why behind it is really important, in today's world, we forget to explain to people why they're doing things, and to get buy in, you have to be able to tell them why. My team in particular gets it, because we talk about it. It's in our culture, it's in our staff, in our shop all the time.”
 
Brent Tercero, Executive Director of credit union advocacy at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, gave advice on how best to get information to staff in all areas:
 
“If you're just starting off in the grassroots world, finding small wins like inviting an elected official to a toy drive or whatever it is, finding small wins to demonstrate to your team the importance and power of grassroots, advocacy, and grassroots, organizing, that's what gets people excited. In organizing, there's this saying, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” 
 
Looking back at the DTMCU campaign, April Mobley, Texas Grassroots and PAC Director for the Cornerstone League, encouraged credit unions to make sure their members are aware of the stakes:
 
“From the Don’t Tax campaign, to the next state legislative session, every voice matters, whether it’s an action alert response, whether it’s a phone call to that elected official's office, whether it's a comment call for a regulatory issue, every voice matters.”
 
Revisiting what was successful of the DTMCU campaign, Utah’s Credit Unions President and Chief Advocacy Officer Rusty Cannon shared how setting up relationships with lawmakers early was so crucial to the mission:
 
“Any time we can get good facts in front of our elected officials is very much appreciated. We start from very early on in the relationship with all of our elected officials, getting them the types of stories, the types of numbers, because they make an impact in an important way.”