Credit unions concerned for federal funds to help under-resourced communities under Trump administration

Sydney Seral, serves as the Chief Advocacy Officer at the League of Credit Unions & Affiliates. (Jonathan Cooper/U.S. Treasury Department and The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates)

Since 1994, the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) has distributed nearly $93 billion to individuals, organizations, and businesses in under-resourced communities through credit unions. These funds have helped to address community disinvestment, poverty, affordable housing, unemployment, and access to capital. 

But in October, the Trump administration eliminated the jobs of the 81 CDFI staffers, sending shockwaves across credit unions and the communities they serve nationwide. Their jobs have reportedly been reinstated since the end of the government shutdown, but the Treasury Department agency could still be on shaky ground.

Sydney Seral, the chief advocacy officer at the League of Credit Unions & Affiliates, is on the frontlines of that concern, representing credit unions across Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Virginia.