DCUC Requests FY2027 NDAA Financial Services Section To Advance Military Financial Readiness
By CU Today Staff —
WASHINGTON--The Defense Credit Union Council is urging congressional leadership to work toward including a dedicated financial services section in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), creating an opportunity to advance "practical, bipartisan reforms that support military financial readiness."
“Financial readiness deserves a place in the broader conversation about national defense,” said Anthony Hernandez, DCUC president/CEO, ret. U.S. Air Force colonel. “A carefully constructed financial services section would give Congress an opportunity to strengthen the institutions serving military communities and expand responsible financial options for those who serve. We hope lawmakers will use that opportunity to improve financial resilience, modernize lending options, and help veterans turn their business ambitions into lasting economic opportunity.”
In a letter to the speaker of the House, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, and Senate minority leader, DCUC requested that leadership establish a legislative pathway for a negotiated financial services package. As that section is developed, DCUC said it hopes it will include three priorities raised in its earlier FY2027 NDAA recommendations: permanent Central Liquidity Facility enhancements, modernization of federal credit union loan-maturity authority, and the Veterans Member Business Loan Act. DCUC’s recommendations included:
DCUC emphasized that it is not asking that unrelated financial services controversies delay defense authorization, only that a financial services section is developed through bipartisan negotiations among congressional leadership and the relevant committees.
“Our request starts with creating the legislative opportunity,” said Jason Stverak, DCUC chief advocacy officer. “We are asking congressional leaders to work toward a financial services section, and we hope the resulting agreement includes these three priorities. Together, they address whether a credit union can prepare for financial disruption, offer suitable repayment terms, and consider a veteran’s business loan without an unnecessary statutory barrier. Those are practical questions with real consequences for military communities.”
“Congress does not have to choose between protecting the NDAA’s defense focus and addressing the financial needs of the people who sustain that mission,” Hernandez added. “The opportunity is to bring those objectives together through a disciplined, bipartisan agreement. DCUC is ready to help make that possible.”
Originally reported by CU Today.