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Daily Legislative Intelligence

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Generated by Apogee - AI-native legislative intelligence

Executive Summary

The most significant overnight development is a presidential determination on refugee admissions for FY2026, published in the Federal Register today (May 27). The FY2027 appropriations cycle is in active subcommittee markup phase, with 55 House member FY27 request portals live and a cluster of budget hearings scheduled for June 2. Several regulatory comment deadlines are closing imminently, including an FCC fee schedule proceeding closing tomorrow (May 28) and a Head Start workforce rule with over $2 billion in estimated cost implications closing June 11.

Presidential Actions

Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY2026

President Trump signed an Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 on May 21, 2026; it was published in the Federal Register today, May 27 (Document No. 2026-10598). The determination invokes emergency authority to adjust refugee admissions levels for the current fiscal year.

→ Walk me through the refugee admissions determination and its legal authority

→ Draft a memo on the refugee admissions determination

Continuation of National Emergency — Belarus

President Trump also continued the national emergency with respect to Belarus (published May 26, Document No. 2026-10481), a routine annual renewal under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Appropriations: FY2027 Cycle — Active Markup Phase

The FY2027 appropriations process is now in Subcommittee Markup phase, with full committee markups expected within approximately 5 days. Public testimony submission windows remain active through May.

Key live signals:

  • 55 House member FY27 request portals are currently open. Notable members with active portals include: Rep. John Mannion (mannion.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Sara Jacobs (sarajacobs.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Troy Carter (troycarter.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Mike Collins (collins.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (espaillat.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Pete Sessions (sessions.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Donald Norcross (norcross.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Chuy García (chuygarcia.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Hank Johnson (hankjohnson.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Laura Friedman (friedman.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Janelle Bynum (bynum.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Daniel Webster (webster.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Kelly Morrison (morrison.house.gov/appropriations-requests), Rep. Tim Moore (timmoore.house.gov/fy27-appropriations), Rep. Jonathan Jackson (jonathanjackson.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Norma Torres (torres.house.gov/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (mcdonaldrivet.house.gov/services/fy27-appropriations-requests), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (cherfilus-mccormick.house.gov/fy27-appropriations), Rep. Tim Burchett (burchett.house.gov/appropriations-requests), and Rep. Jennifer McClellan (mcclellan.house.gov/appropriations-requests), among 35 others.

Action item: If your organization has not yet submitted FY27 appropriations requests to open member portals, the window is closing. Full committee markups are approximately 5 days away — provisions not in the chairman's mark at subcommittee stage are harder to add at full committee.

→ Pull the full list of open FY27 member request portals and prioritize outreach

→ Draft FY27 appropriations request language

Upcoming Committee Hearings — Week of June 2

Six hearings are confirmed for Tuesday, June 2, 2026, all focused on FY2027 budget requests:

| Committee | Chamber | Topic | Location |

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

| Senate Foreign Relations | Senate | FY2027 State Dept. budget request | Dirksen 419, 2:00 PM |

| Senate Appropriations — DoD Subcommittee | Senate | FY2027 Intelligence Community (closed) | CVC Senate Side 217, 2:30 PM |

| Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry | Senate | U.S. Forest Service oversight | Dirksen 106, 2:00 PM |

| Senate Coast Guard, Maritime & Fisheries Subcommittee | Senate | Blue economy / fisheries / coastal economies | Russell 253, 2:00 PM |

| Senate Appropriations — DHS Subcommittee | Senate | FY2027 DHS budget request | Dirksen 138, 6:00 PM |

| House Appropriations — National Security/State Subcommittee | House | FY2027 State Dept. budget | Rayburn 2359, 6:00 PM |

| House Appropriations — Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee | House | DOJ oversight | Rayburn 2358-C, 8:00 PM |

→ See witness lists and prep questions for the June 2 FY2027 State Department budget hearing

→ Draft oral questions for the June 2 DHS budget hearing

Regulatory: Comment Deadlines Closing Imminently

Closing today (May 27):

  • Coast Guard — Safety Zone, James River, Richmond, VA (Doc. 2026-09377): Temporary safety zone for fireworks display. Comment at regulations.gov/commenton/USCG-2026-0405-0001.

Closing tomorrow (May 28):

  • FCC — FY2026 Regulatory Fee Schedule Review (Doc. 2026-09193): The FCC seeks comment on revising its FY2026 fee schedule. Deadline: May 28. Full text: federalregister.gov

Closing June 11 — High Stakes:

  • HHS/ACF — Head Start Workforce Rule Rollback (Doc. 2026-09383): The Administration for Children and Families proposes to remove wage and benefit requirements from Head Start Performance Standards, estimating over $2 billion in cost savings (i.e., reduced program expenditures). Comments due June 11 at regulations.gov/commenton/ACF-2026-0364-0001.

→ Expand on the Head Start workforce rule rollback and its $2B cost impact

→ Draft public comment on the Head Start workforce rule

Other near-term deadlines:

  • EPA — NC Vehicle Inspection/Maintenance Program SIP Removal (Doc. 2026-09146): Comments due June 8. EPA proposes to approve North Carolina's removal of its vehicle I/M program from its State Implementation Plan covering 19 counties.
  • USDA — Modified Organisms RFI (Doc. 2026-09833): Comments due June 15. USDA solicits input on risk-based deregulation of modified organisms under the Plant Protection Act.
  • FCC — Telecom Certification Body Security (Doc. 2026-09821): Comments due June 15. FCC proposes to cease recognition of test labs and certification bodies in non-MRA/trade-agreement territories, with national security implications.

Regulatory: Notable Final Rules Effective Today

DOT Administrative Rulemaking Procedures (Doc. 2026-08144, effective May 27): The Department of Transportation's final rule reinstating procedural reforms for rulemakings, guidance documents, and enforcement actions — covering PHMSA, FMCSA, NHTSA, and FTA — takes effect today. This restores internal DOT rulemaking discipline rescinded in 2021.

→ Expand on the DOT rulemaking procedures rule effective today

Political Intelligence: Texas Primary Results

Politico's Playbook (published May 27) reports that Texas AG Ken Paxton is headed to a runoff, and that Reps. Chip Roy, Al Green, and Julie Johnson lost their primary races. These results will reshape the Texas congressional delegation and affect committee assignments and legislative dynamics in the 120th Congress.

→ Pull district profiles and successor candidate context for Chip Roy, Al Green, and Julie Johnson

Legislative Branch Appropriations: House Markup Underway

First Branch Forecast (published May 27) reports Part 2 of the House Legislative Branch Appropriations bill markup is in progress. H.R. 4249, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026, sponsored by Rep. David Valadao (R-CA-22), was placed on the Union Calendar (Calendar No. 144) and covers funding for the Capitol Police, CBO, GAO, Library of Congress, Architect of the Capitol, and related entities.

→ Walk me through the House Legislative Branch Appropriations markup and what's at stake

Sources

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