WASHINGTON-Both of the political action committees overseen by CUNA and NAFCU, respectively, have seen a steady growth in dollars raised and expenditures made, according to public records compiled by Open Secrets.
As the chart shows, expenditures for both PACs peaked in 2008, but all contributions and expenses have stayed near that level ever since. Both associations say the strength of their PACs has grown with the increased regulatory threats to credit unions and out of the strong desire to get certain pieces of legislation plassed. Open Secrets, in fact, ranks the CUNA PAC as a "Heavy Hitter," meaning it is one of the 140 biggest overall donors to federal elections since the 1990 election cycle, as compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Both associations expect contributions and expenditures to approach or surpass 2008 levels due to the competitiveness of so many races in the upcoming elections-and the ongoing threats to credit unions presented by candidates unfriendly to credit union issues.
