House committee staffers not paid if chair not chosen by Jan. 13, officials warn

« Committees should be aware that if a set of internal rules is not adopted by the end of business on January 13, no committee will be able to process payroll since the committee’s authority for the new Convention is n is not yet confirmed, » according to the memo sent. to House committees.

Additionally, according to the guidelines, if by the end of Jan. 13 the House has not adopted a set of rules outlining how the chamber will operate next year, committees will not be able to process refunds. student loans. This means that House employees enrolled in the 10-year student loan forgiveness program may face service interruptions, which can affect both their retirement and their eligibility for loan forgiveness.

The memo comes days before the Jan. 3 vote, with McCarthy still working to lock in the 218 votes he will need to claim the House gavel. The California Republican faces open rebellion among conservatives, with five GOP lawmakers saying they will vote against him and several others remaining on the fence as they try to extract concessions from leaders. McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes within his party.

The impact on committee staff is just one of many domino effects of the conference speakers’ struggle, despite Republican hopes the party could immediately move forward on several investigations as it takes a majority in the House. .

Some committees already have GOP chairs waiting in the wings, like Rep. james comer (R-Ky.) gets tapped to lead the House Oversight Committee. But McCarthy has made decisions on a handful of contested races, including who will lead the party’s tax drafting committee and another who will oversee agencies managing the border, until the end of the president’s race next month.

For these panels, the longest-serving Republican member on the committee acts as the de facto acting chair. Those senior lawmakers will be expected to nominate current committee staff — from majority and minority parties — who will remain after the new Congress begins on Jan. 3 until House Republicans choose a new chair, according to the new guidelines. The remaining staff in the new Congress « should continue to perform their official duties during the interim period between January 3 and the appointment of the committee chair. »

The House cannot pass a new rules package or formal green light committee authority before a speaker is selected, raising concerns about legislative and administrative pile-up. McCarthy, or whoever will be the speaker next year, also names the members of the House Intelligence Committee. Additionally, the speaker would call on Republicans to lead the House Rules Committee, which helps govern the floor, and the House Administration Committee, which oversees Capitol security.

Questions about the impact a long speaker fight could have on committees and committee staff have swirled through House GOP ranks for weeks.

representing David Joyce (R-Ohio) said he raised the issue at a closed GOP meeting earlier this month. Meanwhile, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) previously told POLITICO that as Republicans prepare for the Jan. 3 vote, “the only open issue right now is staff funding.”

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.