For Tonya Nixon, a military spouse in Washington state, Navy Federal Credit Union’s no-cost financial assistance program has been a blessing. The program safeguarded her family’s financial security when her husband’s paychecks stopped indefinitely during the 2025 government shutdown.
“We were so scared,” said Tonya, whose husband works for the U.S. Department of Defense. “We didn’t know what we were going to do.”
Without the program, Tonya and her husband would have faced the prospect of calling creditors to ask for relief on car and home loans, risking late payments and damage to their credit rating, or asking relatives to borrow money.
“It was so nice not to have to think about that, to not have to make that phone call,” she said.
The application process, she added, was simple and stress-free.
“We would definitely participate in the program again,” Tonya said. “I feel very protected.”
Navy Federal disbursed nearly 200,000 offers of assistance at no cost this fall, totaling more than $350 million, and offered the program again during recent partial government shutdowns. Unlike programs offered by other institutions, no credit check was required, so there was no impact on members’ credit history. Navy Federal also worked with members to help manage more than $2.5 billion in loan balances.
“We understand how unsettling a potential government shutdown can be for our members and their families,” said Matt Freeman, Navy Federal’s senior vice president of digital payments.
