WASHINGTON — The late U.S. Rep. Don Young’s former office officially closed Tuesday, and all his remaining staffers were taken off payroll. The winner of Tuesday’s special U.S. House election will move into the Alaska Republican’s former office after being sworn in next month, but it’ll remain vacant for weeks before then.
In March, Young — the dean of the House — died suddenly while serving his 49th year in Congress. The state is holding a special election to decide who will serve out the rest of Young’s term, which ends in January. Per U.S. House procedure, Young’s former offices in Washington, D.C., Anchorage and Fairbanks closed on the date of the special election to allow time to transition the office.
With at least two weeks to go until a special election winner is declared and longer until the winner is sworn in, the office could be vacant for a while. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will set a swearing-in date and time after the special election, likely when the House returns from recess in September. That’s when the winner of the special election will move in. However, once Alaska voters choose a representative for the regular U.S. House term, that person will not use Young’s old office after they are sworn in in January.
