On June 24, 2025, Nacha hosted our annual Capitol Hill Day in Washington, facilitating a daylong series of meetings with policymakers and members of Nacha’s Government Relations Advisory Group (GRAG) and several members of Nacha’s Board of Directors.  Earlier this year President Trump issued an executive order directing the Secretary of the Treasury, to the extent permitted by law, to phase out issuing paper checks “for all Federal disbursements inclusive of intragovernmental payments, benefits payments, vendor payments, and tax refunds” by September 30. This was the perfect backdrop for Nacha members to sit down with staff from both the executive and legislative branch to highlight the effectiveness of the ACH Network in delivering more than 33 billion annual payments for the federal government, as well as citizens and businesses. 

This year’s Hill Day attendees reflected the diversity of Nacha’s membership, representing Payments Associations, banks of all sizes and credit unions from across the country—from Alabama to Nevada. This wide range of backgrounds ensured the policymakers heard firsthand from numerous voices how the ACH Network is the backbone of critical government payments, including Social Security, veterans’ benefits and tax refunds. Given their frontline knowledge, Hill Day participants were able to provide meaningful guidance and education on a number of issues, including how to effectively implement efforts to comply with the executive order. 

The day started at the Treasury Department, located on Pennsylvania Avenue adjacent to the White House, with a meeting with staff appointed by the president and tasked with implementing the executive order. The group then went to Capitol Hill for more than a dozen meetings. The meetings were an opportunity to have in-depth conversation with staff working for members of Congress serving on the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee.   

These discussions allowed the opportunity for Nacha members to provide their expertise about the modern ACH Network and how it continues to serve the payment needs of citizens, businesses and government agencies. Other discussion topics included faster payments, digital wallets and reducing fraud across all payment networks. GRAG members and members of the Nacha Board of Directors also reminded staffers of the resources that Nacha and our membership can provide for payments-related training and education. Collectively, the two groups participated in 15 meetings, including a breakfast at The Capitol Hill Club. 

“Our members are our best voices when it comes to educating policymakers about the ACH Network, informing them about the crucial role it plays in delivering government payments as well as the most essential payments for American consumers and businesses,” said Bill Sullivan, Nacha’s Associate Managing Director, Government and Industry Relations. “I want to thank the Nacha members who carved out time to share their expertise and stories with policymakers and congressional staff. Their insights are critical to ensuring federal policy supports a secure, efficient, and inclusive payments system for all.”