A breakdown of the CUNA/League advocacy agenda, as well as information on how it will improve financial well-being for Americans, is available now on the eve of the 2021 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC).

“Credit unions work every single day to improve members’ financial well-being and advance communities they serve. This work is what helps us move our advocacy agenda forward,” said CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan. “With a new Congress and administration, we need to step up our efforts to tell our story and show the impact in this new environment in order to maintain our progress and take advantage of opportunities to advance our agenda.”

The agenda emphasizes how credit unions continue to serve the purpose they were founded on more than 100 years ago, including $17.2 billion in savings through lower fees and better loan rates.

The materials also emphasize credit union work during the pandemic which includes credit unions:

• Offering personalized solutions for members, including 95% of credit unions offering loan modifications and 90% of credit unions offering fee waiver.
• Making more than 204,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $9.7 billion, averaging $47,624 each.
• Making $33 billion in commercial loans in 2020, helping create more than 297,00 jobs.
• Connecting to local communities by serving meals to first responders, providing personal protective equipment to medical centers, and supporting food pantries.

CUNA and League advocacy staff also created an “Advocacy 101” video available on-demand for CUNA GAC registrants. It can be found by logging into the CUNA GAC platform, clicking “Sessions” on the left-side menu, and selecting “On Demand.” The session is titled “Credit Union Advocacy on Capitol Hill.”

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