As members of Congress are on their August recess, credit union leaders are preparing for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislative season for fiscal year 2026. This year, the California Credit Union League and Nevada’s Credit Unions leveraged industry partners to drive the development of a credit union-wide amendment strategy.
Every year, the NDAA authorizes the federal budget for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and sets policy. While it doesn’t appropriate the money, it provides the framework for how the military operates and spends its funds.
This year, the California and Nevada leagues developed a draft list of amendments to kick off an industrywide discussion on an amendment strategy for the NDAA. The suggested amendments were drafted with a focus on fraud prevention and financial literacy. The fraud prevention suggestions were derived from the leagues’ legislative committee.
“I’m proud of the amendment ideas that we developed,” said Stephanie Cuevas, senior vice president of federal government affairs for the California Credit Union League and Nevada’s Credit Unions. “The ‘asks’ that credit unions make of legislators tells a story of who we are as a movement. Our goal is to support America’s Credit Unions by developing legislative ideas rooted in what we’re hearing from credit union members. The NDAA is a perfect opportunity to achieve that.”
Last year, 1,387 amendments were introduced within the NDAA in the U.S. House of Representatives, with 476 amendments receiving support from Californian members of Congress and 80 receiving support from Nevadans. Amendments focused on a wide range of issues beyond the DOD. As an example, some amendments focused on criminal sentencing, passport reform, honey, local bridges, and much more.
“My previous experience as a legislative director on Capitol Hill inspired me to share my amendment strategy with industry partners,” Cuevas said. “During my time in Washington, D.C., amendments had a greater chance to be signed into law than bills. This is still true today. The credit union movement cannot afford to leave any opportunity on the table to tell our story, and a coordinated NDAA amendment strategy ensures we use every possible avenue to advance our priorities and strengthen congressional relationships.”
With Congress set to return in September, the coming weeks are important. The House and U.S. Senate will begin considering amendments to their respective versions of the bill before a final vote.
On an industrywide strategy call this week with advocacy leaders from the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC), state leagues/associations and America’s Credit Unions, participants said they remain alert to any amendments attached related to credit card interchange fees (the Credit Card Competition Act or CCCA). They have already told Congress the CCCA would harm credit unions and their members, including military families.
Banking trade associations also monitor any legislative priorities of credit unions in the NDAA, waiting to see what provisions or amendments they might oppose or counter-propose.
“The leagues remain committed to advocating for member credit unions’ interests in alignment with America’s Credit Unions and DCUC,” Cuevas said. “We generated a list of amendment ideas for the NDAA — but they’re only ideas. We will only move forward with introduction after achieving consensus within the credit union industry.”
