This Week in Federal Regulations — 2026-05-25

TITLE: This Week in Federal Regulations — May 25, 2026: White House Targets Financial System, HUD Drops Environmental Review Layer

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Executive Office of the President

The White House issued a coordinated trio of presidential documents on May 22 reshaping financial-sector oversight, fintech integration, and FY2026 appropriations implementation — likely the most consequential regulatory development of the week.

• 2026-10400 ("Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System") signals a forthcoming overhaul of federal financial regulation; agencies including Treasury, the SEC, and banking regulators should expect downstream rulemaking obligations.
• 2026-10399 directs integration of financial technology innovation into existing regulatory frameworks — expect coordinated activity touching 12 CFR (banking) and 17 CFR (securities) as agencies operationalize the directive.
• 2026-10398 implements provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, allocating authorities and obligations across multiple agencies; compliance teams tracking appropriations-linked program rules should map affected programs now.

Transportation Department

FAA airworthiness and airspace actions dominate DOT's week, headlined by a binding airworthiness directive on Pratt & Whitney RTX engines under 14 CFR Part 39.

• 2026-10360 finalizes an airworthiness directive for Pratt & Whitney RTX Corporation engines (formerly P&W Division, United Technologies), creating mandatory inspection/compliance obligations for affected operators under 14 CFR Part 39.
• 2026-10348 proposes amending RNAV Route T-306 and establishing new RNAV Route T-647, and 2026-10346 proposes Class E airspace at Monee, IL — both touch 14 CFR Part 71 and are open for public comment.
• FMCSA published two driver qualification exemption hearing notices (2026-10345, 2026-10341) under 49 CFR Part 391, providing opportunity for stakeholder comment on individual medical/vision exemptions.
• MARAD issued four coastwise-trade notices (2026-10338 S/V SONG OF DAVID, 2026-10337 M/V SEA TRACK, 2026-10336 M/V SEA FALCON, 2026-10335 M/V MAMA JUANA) seeking comment on use of foreign-built small passenger vessels in U.S. coastwise trade — Jones Act-adjacent waivers worth monitoring for maritime operators.

Housing and Urban Development

• 2026-10356 finalizes removal of the Environmental Clearance Officer review-and-comment step for environmental assessments on projects exceeding 200 lots/dwelling units or beds, streamlining HUD's NEPA process under 24 CFR Part 50/58 — a meaningful procedural acceleration for large multifamily and institutional projects.

Education Department

• 2026-10347 finalizes the Secretary's Supplemental Priority and Definitions on "Promoting Patriotic Education," which will steer competitive discretionary grant scoring across ED programs; grant applicants should expect this priority to appear in upcoming NOFOs.

Commerce Department

Commerce posted a heavy slate of trade-remedy determinations affecting importers of Korean polymers, Polish mushrooms, and Russian palladium.

• 2026-10342 issues a final affirmative countervailing duty determination on unwrought palladium from the Russian Federation — a notable escalation given palladium's role in catalytic converters and electronics supply chains.
• 2026-10344 sets preliminary AD review results for Korean superabsorbent polymers (2023–2024 period), and 2026-10343 finalizes AD review results for Polish preserved mushrooms (2022–2024) — both adjust cash-deposit rates importers must apply at entry.
• 2026-10340 notices proposed FTZ 75 production activity by Essai, Inc. in Chandler, AZ for semiconductor test equipment, relevant to firms tracking domestic semiconductor supply-chain build-out under 15 CFR Part 400.

Health and Human Services

• 2026-10352 notices closed meetings of NIH's Center for Scientific Review for grant peer review — routine but required notice under FACA; no public comment opportunity.

Small Business Administration

• 2026-10339 notices Brightwood Capital SBIC III and IV's request for a conflicts-of-interest exemption under Section 312 of the Small Business Investment Act, with a public comment window — relevant to SBIC fund managers and LPs tracking 13 CFR Part 107 practice.

Compliance Watch

The HUD environmental-review removal (2026-10356) and the White House financial-system trio (2026-10398–10400) are the week's highest-leverage items. The palladium CVD (2026-10342) is the trade item most likely to ripple through industrial supply chains. Maritime and aviation operators have multiple comment windows open; act before close to preserve standing.