system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
I can’t believe we’re paying these clowns just for these shenanigans to ensue. What a country.
gpt
We may not be paying them, depending on how the laws and the Constitution get interpreted. From what I'm reading this evening, it sounds like the existing precedents suggest that none of them are officially Members of Congress yet because they haven't been sworn in, which can only happen when there is a Speaker to swear them in.

None of that is in the Constitution though, so it's kind of a crapshoot.

If that interpretation holds, they won't be getting paid until they finally elect a Speaker.