Leaders from the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC), along with member credit union CEOs and system partners, spent this week in meetings with senior Pentagon and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) officials to push for policies that help service members, veterans, and their families.
Stop One: The Pentagon
The delegation sat down with Lara Sayer, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. They also met with Jules “Jay” Hurst III, Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer. Both conversations centered on closer collaboration and on defense credit unions’ commitment to the financial well-being of the military community.
DCUC President/CEO Anthony Hernandez, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, said bringing the CEOs along was the point. “While DCUC is always ready to speak on their behalf, our member credit unions are the ones directly serving those who serve our country,” he said. “DoW needs to see their dedication to the cause in person.”
Think of it like a restaurant critic versus the head chef. A trade group can describe the menu, but it lands differently when the people running the kitchen are standing in the room.
Stop Two: The NCUA
Next, the group met NCUA Chairman John Crews to talk regulatory priorities. Their goal was rules that help credit unions compete, innovate, and keep up with what members now expect from their finances.
Hernandez said a strong system “starts with the ability to meet members where they are.” He added that DCUC wants to protect the system’s financial resilience while giving credit unions the flexibility to serve future generations.
Jason Stverak, DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer, also led a Q&A with Sierra Robinson, Director of the NCUA’s Office of External Affairs and Communications. The session gave defense credit unions a direct line to the agency about the challenges of serving military families.
What DCUC Put on the Table
Chairman Crews again laid out his broad priorities, then heard the delegation’s asks:
- A clear, practical framework for credit unions to take part in payment stablecoins under the GENIUS Act
- NCUA support for investment opportunities that let credit unions compete and adopt new technology responsibly
- Preserving federal preemption of state interchange restrictions for federal credit unions
- Expanding membership eligibility to designated beneficiaries
- Modernizing the Central Liquidity Facility (CLF), the system’s federal liquidity backstop
- Cutting duplicative requirements and modernizing consumer disclosures for digital banking
- Resolving operational concerns around vehicle-loan interest reporting
The group also stressed practical paths to responsible tech adoption, better cybersecurity education and information sharing, and stakeholder input before new requirements take effect.
Stverak summed up the pitch: “Credit unions need clear, consistent rules that allow them to compete, responsibly embrace new technologies, and devote more resources to serving their members.” Open dialogue with the NCUA, he said, helps keep policy grounded in operational reality while preserving member trust and financial security.
What to Watch Next
DCUC says the meetings reflect its aim to carry member perspectives straight to federal decision-makers, in service of military financial readiness and its “Serving ALL Who Serve” mission. Keep an eye on whether NCUA guidance on GENIUS Act stablecoin participation materializes, and whether the CLF modernization and interchange preemption issues pick up momentum in the months ahead.