Funding for the federal government is set to expire Nov. 21, though Congress is expected to consider another continuing resolution this week to fund the government through Dec. 20, according to reports. If no agreement is reached by midnight Nov. 21, the federal government will shut down.

In the event of a shutdown, credit unions around the country are prepared to assist affected members, as they did during the 35-day shutdown that ended in January 2019. 

During the 2018-2019 shutdown, more than 500 credit unions:

• Assisted more than 79,000 affected members;
• Issued more than $100 million in low- to no-interest loans; and
• Issued more than 26,000 loan extensions and other modifications, often with fees waived.

During the shutdown, more than 3,000 Americans joined a credit union, recognizing the ways credit unions best met their needs during such an emergency.

CUNA/League collaboration through the shutdown led to the creation of CUNA’s shutdown assistance page, documenting credit union efforts. This information has been used in advocacy efforts to highlight the credit union difference to legislators and other policymakers.