HRES-85-119
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Sponsored by Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
What it does
This resolution authorizes up to $32,293,696 for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's expenses, including staff salaries, for the 119th Congress. It splits the funds between two one-year periods (about $15.8 million for 2025 and $16.5 million for 2026) and requires payments to be made through vouchers signed by the Committee chairman and approved by the Committee on House Administration.
Who benefits
Members and staff of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, who receive funding for salaries and operations; the committee's oversight and legislative work on energy, health, telecommunications, and commerce issues.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully harmed; this is a routine internal funding allocation. Taxpayers indirectly fund the committee's operations, as with all congressional committee budgets, but the amount is a small, standard part of the House's overall administrative budget.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that committees need predictable, appropriated funding to pay staff and conduct oversight, hearings, and investigations, and that this resolution follows the standard biennial process every House committee undergoes at the start of a new Congress. They contend the amount reflects routine cost adjustments and is subject to oversight by the Committee on House Administration.
Opponents argue
Opponents, to the extent any object, might argue that committee budgets should face closer public scrutiny or be tied more directly to performance metrics rather than approved as a lump sum resolution. They might also contend that any year-over-year funding increase should be justified in more detail before being adopted.
Constitutional context
This resolution falls under each chamber's authority to govern its own internal proceedings and expenditures under Article I, Section 5, which the courts have treated as largely nonjusticiable under United States v. Ballin (1892).
Checks and balances
The House retains full control over its own committee funding through this internal resolution, with the Committee on House Administration providing an additional layer of internal oversight; no other branch is involved.
Historical precedent
The House adopts a similar committee funding resolution for each standing committee at the start of every new Congress, a longstanding routine practice.