Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan shared stories about politics and gave advice on effective advocacy as someone who has moved things forward in D.C. with credit union leaders Monday. Ryan opened up America’s Credit Unions’ Congressional Caucus in a fireside chat with America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Jim Nussle, who served alongside him in Congress from 1999 to 2007.
The two shared stories about working together, and Ryan gave an update on his post-Congress goals and his experiences working with credit unions (including many visits to Credit Union House). He stressed the importance of data and grassroots to make sure advocacy has the intended impact.
“You need to be telling your stories, explaining just how many members you have, because it’s really important for a member of Congress to understand how many members you actually have in their congressional district and in their states, what you do for them, and what they’re experiencing in their lives,” he said. “Burnishing your grassroots power is really important… it’s extremely important that you’re here, present, and telling your story.”
Ryan—who passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 as Speaker—noted that data and strong grassroots will be especially important next year as that legislation is set to expire and policymakers will be taking a complete look at all tax expenditures.
