Legislative Intelligence Briefing - Thursday, May 21, 2026

Executive Summary

The House floor is active this week with a veterans-focused package — three bills under closed rule (H.R. 1041, H.R. 6047, H.R. 1329) cleared the Rules Committee on May 19 and are positioned for floor votes. The Senate is conducting a vote-a-rama today (May 21) that Politico flags as a preview of midterm messaging battles. The Federal Register saw a high-volume regulatory day, with the most significant actions being EPA's proposed rollback of PFAS drinking water standards for four substances, a DHS/ICE proposed rule tripling removal-in-absentia fees under H.R. 1 authority, and a major HHS final rule setting ACA payment parameters for 2027. Appropriations subcommittee markups are now active, with full committee markups approximately 11 days out.

House Floor: Veterans Package Under Closed Rule

H. Res. 1300, reported by the Rules Committee on May 19, 2026, provides for floor consideration of three bills under a closed rule (no floor amendments), each with one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit:

H.R. 1041 — Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (Sponsor: Rep. Mike Bost, R-IL-12)

Prohibits the VA from transmitting veterans' personally identifying information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) solely because a veteran has an appointed fiduciary to manage their benefits. A judicial finding of danger to self or others would still permit transmission.

→ Walk me through H.R. 1041's policy implications and likely opposition

H.R. 6047 — Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2026 (Sponsor: Rep. Tom Barrett, R-MI-7)

Establishes a supplemental monthly allowance of $833.33 for veterans eligible for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities or TBI. Increases dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) by an additional 1% at the next COLA adjustment and 0.5% at the following adjustment. Expands VA home loan eligibility to reserve and National Guard members after 14 days of active duty. Extends certain loan fee rates through September 30, 2036.

→ Pull the CBO score and fiscal impact of H.R. 6047

H.R. 1329 — Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act (also under H. Res. 1300)

Permits the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall.

Action item: All three bills are on the floor this week under closed rule. No amendments are in order. Staff should monitor for floor vote timing and final passage margins.

→ Draft a one-page floor memo on the veterans package for member review

Senate: Vote-A-Rama Today (May 21)

Politico's Playbook (published May 21, 2026) flags that today's Senate vote-a-rama will serve as a window into midterm messaging wars, with Democrats using amendment votes to draw contrasts heading into the 2026 cycle. The same dispatch also references a Trump move on AI safety — described as a significant policy development — though full details were not available in indexed news at time of publication.

Action item: Monitor vote-a-rama amendment outcomes closely; individual votes will be used in campaign messaging. Flag any amendments touching your portfolio for rapid response.

→ Pull the Senate vote-a-rama amendment list and likely messaging targets

→ Draft a rapid-response memo on the AI safety action referenced in Politico Playbook May 21

Committee Hearings: Today and This Week

Today, May 21 — Senate Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee

FY2027 Navy Budget Justification Hearing, 2:30 PM ET, Dirksen 192
This is an active appropriations signal: the Defense Subcommittee is in the budget hearing phase for FY2027. Navy witnesses will present budget estimates and justifications.

→ Pull the FY2027 Navy budget request and key line items ahead of today's hearing

Today, May 21 — House Appropriations, Transportation-HUD Subcommittee

DOT Budget Hearing, 2:00 PM ET, Rayburn 2358-A
Department of Transportation witnesses presenting FY2027 budget justification.

Today, May 21 — House Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee

"State and Local Cybersecurity: Escalating Threats, Federal Partnership, and the Resilience of America's Communities", 2:00 PM ET, Cannon 310

Today, May 21 — House Science, Space & Technology, Environment Subcommittee

"Research-Driven Resilience: Applying Science to Secure U.S. Water Systems from Cyber Threats", 2:00 PM ET, Rayburn 2318

Today, May 21 — House Natural Resources, Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee

Legislative hearing on H.R. 1010 (BADGES for Native Communities Act, Rep. Leger Fernandez), H.R. 7954 (Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act, Rep. Hurd), H.R. 8483 (Barona Group Land Transfer Act, Rep. Issa), H.R. 8658 (Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act, Rep. Kennedy of UT), 2:00 PM ET, Longworth 1324

→ Pull details on H.R. 8658 Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act and its prospects

Regulatory Actions: High-Impact Federal Register Filings

EPA: Proposed Rollback of PFAS Drinking Water Standards

Published May 20, 2026 | Document 2026-10085 | Comments close July 20, 2026

EPA proposes to rescind regulatory determinations and Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for four PFAS substances — PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX chemicals), and a mixture including PFBS — from the 2024 PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. EPA argues the prior administration promulgated regulatory determinations and final rules simultaneously, which it now deems unlawful. This is a significant rollback of the Biden-era PFAS rule.

→ Expand on the EPA PFAS rollback proposal and congressional response options

Companion action — PFOA/PFOS Compliance Deadline Extension:

Published May 20, 2026 | Document 2026-10086 | Comments close June 22, 2026 | Public hearing July 7, 2026

EPA separately proposes to extend the compliance deadline for PFOA and PFOS MCLs from April 26, 2029 to April 26, 2031 for systems that request an exemption. Comment period closes June 22 — sooner than the PFAS rescission above.

→ Draft a comment letter opposing the PFOA/PFOS compliance deadline extension

DHS/ICE: Proposed Fee Increase for Removal-in-Absentia Under H.R. 1

Published May 20, 2026 | Document 2026-10082 | Comments close June 22, 2026

ICE proposes to increase the fee for aliens ordered removed in absentia who fail to depart and are subsequently arrested, from $5,130 to $18,000 — a 251% increase — implementing Section 100016 of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (H.R. 1). The rule also establishes annual inflation adjustments going forward.

→ Pull the full context of H.R. 1 Section 100016 and the ICE fee rule's implementation timeline

HHS/CMS: ACA Payment Parameters Final Rule for 2027

Published May 20, 2026 | Document 2026-10050 | Effective July 20, 2026

CMS issued a major final rule implementing 2027 ACA payment parameters, including risk adjustment, user fee rates for FFEs and SBE-FPs, civil money penalties for noncompliant issuers, hardship exemption expansions, provider access standards, a prohibition on routine non-pediatric dental services as an Essential Health Benefit, and catastrophic plan terms of up to 10 consecutive plan years. Also implements provisions of the Working Families Tax Cut legislation.

→ Walk me through the key ACA 2027 payment parameters rule changes and their market impact

Education Department: Workforce Pell Grant Final Rule

Published May 19, 2026 | Document 2026-10013 | Effective July 20, 2026

The Department of Education finalized regulations implementing the Workforce Pell Grant program established by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (H.R. 1, signed July 4, 2025). The rule creates a new category of "eligible workforce programs" — short-term, performance-based programs — and amends Pell Grant eligibility requirements accordingly.

SEC: Enforcement Settlement Policy Rescinded

Published May 21, 2026 | Document 2026-10132 | Effective immediately

The SEC rescinded its longstanding informal procedure requiring defendants to neither admit nor deny findings in enforcement settlements. This is an immediate, same-day effective change with significant implications for enforcement posture.

→ Expand on the SEC enforcement settlement policy rescission and what it means for regulated entities

OCC: Real Estate Escrow and State Law Preemption

Published May 19, 2026 | Documents 2026-10036 and 2026-10037 | Effective June 18, 2026

The OCC issued two companion rules: (1) a final rule codifying national bank authority to establish real estate lending escrow accounts with flexible terms; and (2) a preemption determination concluding that federal law preempts state laws restricting OCC-regulated banks' flexibility on interest payments and fees for escrow accounts.

Appropriations Signals: FY2027 Cycle Now in Subcommittee Markup Phase

The FY2027 appropriations cycle has entered the Subcommittee Markup phase (active). Full committee markups are approximately 11 days out. Public testimony submission windows remain open through May.

55 member offices have opened FY2027 appropriations request portals. A sample of recently active portals includes:

| Member | Portal URL | Detected |

|---|---|---|

| Rep. John Mannion (D-NY) | mannion.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) | sarajacobs.house.gov/appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA) | troycarter.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) | collins.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) | espaillat.house.gov/appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) | sessions.house.gov/appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) | norcross.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) | friedman.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-MN) | morrison.house.gov/appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

| Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) | torres.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests | Apr 22 |

Action items:

With full committee markups ~11 days out, this is the final window to influence chairman's marks. Submit requests to open portals immediately.
The Senate Defense Subcommittee FY2027 Navy hearing today (Dirksen 192, 2:30 PM) is a live appropriations signal — monitor for any signals on shipbuilding, readiness, or program cuts.
The House Transportation-HUD Subcommittee DOT budget hearing today (Rayburn 2358-A, 2:00 PM) is similarly live.

Additional House Floor Items This Week

Beyond the three rule-governed bills, the following are on the House suspension calendar for the week of May 18:

H.R. 785 — Representing our Seniors at VA Act of 2025
H.R. 3482 — Veterans Community Care Scheduling Improvement Act
H.R. 3726 — Fisher House Availability Act of 2025
H.R. 2954 — Veterans' Transition to Trucking Act of 2025
H.R. 7432 — Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act
H.R. 6506 — Taxpayer Due Process Enhancement Act
H.R. 5317 — Community Bank Deposit Access Act of 2025
H.R. 3234 — Keeping Deposits Local Act of 2025
H.R. 4544 — American Access to Banking Act
S. 2393 — FY2025 VA Major Medical Facility Authorization Act
H. Con. Res. 86 — Directing removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran (War Powers Resolution, Section 5(c))
H.R. 4312 — SCORE Act

H. Con. Res. 86 (Iran War Powers) is notable as a privileged resolution that may be considered under the War Powers Resolution framework.

Thursday, May 21, 2026