HRES198-119

What This Bill Does

This resolution is the House's primary expense resolution for committees in the 119th Congress. It authorizes payments from House accounts for committee expenses, including staff salaries, and sets a maximum amount for each named committee. Large committee allowances include $30,651,000 for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, $30,250,000 for the Committee on the Judiciary, $28,800,000 for the Committee on Energy and Commerce, $25,977,070 for the Committee on Armed Services, $22,700,000 for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and $21,250,000 for the Committee on Financial Services. The resolution also covers committees such as Agriculture, Budget, Ethics, Homeland Security, House Administration, Intelligence, Natural Resources, Rules, Science, Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, and the Joint Economic Committee. It divides authority between 2025 and 2026 and requires vouchers and regulations for spending.

Who Benefits and How

House committees benefit because they receive explicit spending authority for staff salaries, investigations, hearings, travel, and other committee operations. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform benefits from the largest listed allowance, which supports oversight staffing and investigative activity. The Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Committee on Armed Services benefit from multimillion-dollar budgets that support broad legislative and oversight portfolios. Committee chairs and ranking members benefit because authorized accounts make it possible to hire and retain staff. Committee staff benefit because salary expenses are included. House Members benefit from committee infrastructure that supports hearings, markups, and oversight work.

Who Bears the Burden and How

House accounts bear the cost because committee expenses are paid from applicable House accounts. The Committee on House Administration and House disbursing officials must oversee vouchers, regulations, and compliance with the expense resolution. Committees must operate within the dollar caps assigned to them rather than treating House resources as open-ended. Taxpayers ultimately fund the House accounts used for committee operations. Committees with smaller allowances, such as Rules, Small Business, and the Joint Economic Committee, bear resource constraints compared with larger committees.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes House committee expense payments for the 119th Congress, including staff salaries.
• Provides committee-specific caps including $30,651,000 for Oversight and Government Reform and $30,250,000 for Judiciary.
• Provides $28,800,000 for Energy and Commerce, $25,977,070 for Armed Services, and $22,700,000 for Foreign Affairs.
• Limits spending to the applicable House accounts and the amounts specified for each committee.
• Requires spending to follow vouchers and House Administration regulations.
• Divides funding authority across the 2025 and 2026 sessions of the 119th Congress.