CUNA announced the appointment of Clement Abonyi Jr. Monday as its newest Director of Advocacy. Abonyi will help manage the association’s relationships with Democrats on a variety of key advocacy issues in his role at CUNA.  

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., resigned his Senate seat Sunday to become president of the University of Florida. Sasse was first elected in 2014 and supported many credit union priorities during his time in the Senate.

CUNA Senior Economist Dawit Kebede noted the December jobs report was robust considering the overall labor market conditions, which is encouraging for the Federal Reserve to bring inflation down to its target level.

Recent collapses show the status quo isn't cutting it for consumers, CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle wrote in The Hill, adding that consumer protectors like credit unions should have the ability to offer crypto services to consumers in a safe way. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was elected Speaker of the House early Saturday morning. McCarthy, who has served in Congress since 2007, has long been a strong supporter of credit unions, even before his time in Congress.

Federal agencies released their latest Unified Rulemaking Agenda this week with several items of concern to CUNA. The agenda includes actions the agencies plan to take in the near or long term but is not a definitive schedule with specific timelines.

CUNA, leagues, and credit unions welcomed members of the 118^th Congress to Washington, D.C., with a reception at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and several visits across Hill offices.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced Thursday she will not seek re-election in 2024. Stabenow—who has served in the Senate since 2001—has been a strong supporter of the credit union tax status and other credit union priorities.

CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak appeared on the Live Richer podcast recently to discuss negative effects of the Credit Card Competition Act. CUNA, Leagues, and credit unions prevented the from moving forward in the previous Congress, despite efforts to include it in must-pass end-of-year legislation.