It’s been 164 years since this happened! But what happens if there is no conclusion!! Every new Congress must pass a new set of House rules, so without a speaker to oversee adoption of those rules, none will technically exist. Without an approved House Rules package by the end of business on January 13, committees also won’t be able to pay staff, according to a letter sent last week by the committee in charge of administrative matters, which was first reported by Politico and obtained by CNN. The same memo warned that student loan payments for committee staff wouldn’t be disbursed if a rules package isn’t adopted by mid-January. However, per precedents of the chamber , the pay period for members-elect still starts on January 3, even if the first session of Congress begins after that date , as long as their credentials have been filed with the House clerk.