Perhaps it's the lack of teleprompters or therelatively small room, but this year's NAFCU Congressional Caucusprovided intimate, and at times revealing, speeches from lawmakers.In contrast to the go-big production of CUNA's Governmental AffairsConference, which is also enjoyable but for different reasons,NAFCU's annual lobby event has a vibe akin to seeing a member ofcongress in his or her own district, at a Rotary luncheon ortouring a local business. 

A prime example was Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who left the podiumand spoke to NAFCU members from the floor. Having previously servedseven years as a board member at the $475 million Heritage TrustFederal Credit Union, Scott has a unique credit union perspectiveand it showed. 

Scott, who was named to the Senate earlier this year by SouthCarolina Governor Nikki Haley to fill the seat vacated by Sen. JimDeMint, also took questions from the audience. His answers wererefreshingly credit union-specific and incredibly candid.

When asked how credit union executives and volunteers can bestget their message across to lawmakers, the 47-year-old said heprefers in-person visits and phone calls to emails and tweets. Ifsomeone takes the time to handwrite a letter in this day and age,he said, he'll read it. And he also urged credit unions to make useof members when advocating for credit union issues, saying, “theyare voters and we work for them.”

He also provided an educational perspective in the differencesbetween the Senate and the House of Representatives, where heserved for two years before his Senate appointment. 

The rules make all the difference. In the senate, just onesenator can “really jack things up”, he said. 

Ain't that the truth. 

But on the upside, he said, because just 41 senators from theminority party can block a full floor vote, Republicans andDemocrats must work together to resolve issues important to thecountry.

In comparison, on the House side, majority really does rule, sothe majority party controls the dialogue. Scott joked that as aRepublican, that structure worked well for him.

But what really struck me was Scott's answer to a question aboutthe possibility of a package bill late this year that could producenegative consequences for credit unions. Not only did he say yes,that is very possible, he said out loud what most in Washingtononly think: lawmakers purposely put off voting on issues until theHoliday season, when most voters aren't paying attention.

That candid response revealed that Scott is pretty confidentabout his position in Washington, a quality he underscored byspeaking far beyond his allotted time, causing House FinancialServices Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling to take the stage 30minutes late. Although Hensarling joked about the delay, comparingScott's speech to a filibuster, the Texas Republican was clearlyirritated with his former colleague for throwing his schedulebehind. Scott spoke late at the 2012 Congressional Caucus too,cutting into time scheduled for NCUA Board Member Michael Fryzel todeliver his speech.

Hensarling recovered and predictably push GSE reform, hissoapbox issue. And he joined the other speakers in sharing apersonal and somewhat self-deprecating story that connected withthe audience: one night after his wife made him roll up his sleevesto scrub dinner dishes, he thought he got a reprieve in the form ofa call from the Wall Street Journal. Turns out, the callwasn't from a reporter, but the sales department, trying to sellhim a subscription renewal.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) also got my attention with a message Iaddressed in my last column: the need to reduce politicalpolarization. He told the audience to turn off FOX News and MSNBC,because they only tell part of the truth—which means I will betuning in the next time he appears on either network to see if thatmessage reached their producers. 

He also urged the audience to reduce the power both majorpolitical parties have over the country, saying Democrats shouldfind a Republican that supports the same issues they do, and votefor him or her. Likewise, he urged Republicans in the audience todo the same with Democrats that align with their issues.

He said that position doesn't make his fellow Democrats happy,but he doesn't work for them, he works for the American people.I've only lived in Virginia a short time, but with that speech hewon me over. 

Here's hoping NAFCU members who hiked the hill last week were asconvincing in their meetings.

Heather Anderson
Executive Editor
[email protected]