As the government shutdown enters its third week, credit unions are finding that it is having an increasing impact on the industry. With a permanent Reduction in Force (RIF) announced as of last week, and the entire Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund’s staff supposedly on the chopping block, credit union operations may continue to be affected.

Jim Nussle, President and CEO of America’s Credit Unions, released a statement on Tuesday regarding the announcement.

“We have seen reports that the Treasury RIF has eliminated all CDFI Fund staff. After a win in the Senate-passed NDAA, cutting this staff would effectively cease the operations of the fund and significantly impact CDFI credit unions and communities across the country. We urge Congress to swiftly come to an agreement on funding, and we will monitor the RIF impact on credit unions and their members.”

“The consequences of the shutdown are ramping up,” Nussle continued. “As they have demonstrated since before the shutdown began, credit unions across the country are working however they can to support their members through this hard time. We will continue to provide insights and resources to credit unions to help them effectively support their members, and we encourage federal workers and those impacted to reach out to their local credit unions to see what kind of support may be available.”

While the CDFI staff elimination has not come to fruition as of yet, all 444 CDFI credit union should keep their eyes on the news coming out of Washington for any further information.