Washington, DC (February 9, 2026) |
The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) has sent a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill and Ranking Member Maxine Waters expressing strong support for H.R. 6644, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, and urging swift House passage ahead of an anticipated floor vote.
DCUC agrees that housing affordability has become a defining challenge to financial stability, workforce readiness, and quality of life. In the letter, DCUC highlighted how housing undersupply and rising costs disproportionately strain military families, who often relocate every two to three years and rely heavily on private housing markets near installations.
DCUC noted that 77% of military families pay more than $200 per month out of pocket beyond their housing allowance, eroding savings and financial resilience over time. “Improving affordability requires expanding housing supply and modernizing the systems that support housing production, financing, and access,” says Jason Stverak, DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer.
DCUC praised H.R. 6644 for its practical, supply-focused reforms, including streamlining housing development processes, modernizing federal housing programs, expanding access to homeownership financing, and strengthening consumer and veteran protections. DCUC also strongly endorsed Title VI of the bill, Strengthening Community Banks’ Role in Housing, and Sections 603–605, which modernize credit union supervision and governance in a risk-based manner.
“These provisions would reduce duplicative regulatory burdens while preserving safety and soundness, allowing credit unions to redirect resources toward lending, housing support, and member services,” says Stverak.
DCUC urged House leaders to include two additional bipartisan priorities in anticipated House and Senate negotiations: modernization of the NCUA Central Liquidity Facility (CLF), consistent with S. 2545, and enactment of the Veterans Member Business Loan Act (VMBLA).
Stverak concluded, “Both measures would strengthen credit union resilience, expand responsible access to capital for veteran entrepreneurs, and support stronger local economies and housing markets, without new taxpayer costs.”