U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking Topics

You can choose a different topic per round. Make sure you upload the video to your entry.

1. Civil Liberties and Expression

• How should the federal government balance national security and digital privacy regarding surveillance programs tied to the ongoing 2026 Iran conflict?
• In the wake of recent anti-war protests, do local law enforcement agencies have too much latitude in deploying facial recognition technology?
• Should Congress amend the Tiahrt Amendment to increase transparency regarding ATF gun trace data, or does this violate Second Amendment privacy protections?

2. Climate, Environment, & Energy Policy

• Does the current push in the House for year-round E15 gasoline sales represent a genuine win for agriculture or a capitulation to ethanol lobbies over environmental concerns?
• As the U.S. faces the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, what immediate domestic steps must the Department of Energy take to secure American energy independence?
• How should the EPA balance the modernization of the U.S. power grid with the increasing environmental impact of data centers powering next-generation AI?

3. Congress

• How will the looming battle over the fiscal year 2027 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill impact Congressional gridlock ahead of the midterms?
• With the House considering a war powers resolution regarding the 60-day hostilities period in Iran, is the legislative branch successfully reclaiming its constitutional war-making authority?
• Will the partisan divide over Secret Service funding in the current reconciliation bill jeopardize broader White House and Capitol security upgrades?

4. Courts and the Law

• Should the Supreme Court restrict the use of the "Texas Two-Step" bankruptcy strategy by corporations attempting to evade mass tort liabilities?
• Following the recent Court of International Trade ruling that Section 122 tariffs are illegal, what legal avenues remain for the executive branch to enforce trade protectionism?
• How will the Supreme Court's impending decision on state-level "conversion therapy" bans (Chiles v. Salazar) redefine the limits of the First Amendment in professional speech?

5. Education

• As Congress examines the Department of Education's priorities, should federal funding be explicitly tied to policies governing AI-generated content in classrooms?
• In a post-affirmative action landscape, how successful have state university systems been at maintaining diversity through socioeconomic-based admissions in 2026?
• Does the rapid expansion of universal school choice vouchers at the state level pose an existential threat to the federal public school funding model?

6. Health Care and Social Programs

• With health officials actively monitoring recent hantavirus outbreaks, is the CDC currently structured and funded adequately to prevent the next localized epidemic?
• Should Congress intervene to strictly regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to cap out-of-pocket costs, or does such regulation stifle pharmaceutical supply chains?
• How can the VA effectively modernize its disability claims process through technology without compromising the personalized care mandated by the PACT Act?

7. Innovation and Emerging Technologies

• Does the Senate Banking Committee's proposed CLARITY Act provide a sufficient regulatory framework for digital assets, or does it prematurely legitimize a volatile cryptocurrency market?
• How must the Department of Defense restructure its technology posture to counter the rise of foreign-linked cyber scam networks actively targeting American citizens?
• Should the federal government heavily subsidize domestic quantum computing research to prevent a severe national security vulnerability against global adversaries?

8. Pop Culture

• Has the massive monetization of college athletes through NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) collectives fundamentally destroyed the concept of amateurism in NCAA sports?
• In the age of algorithmic content generation, what ethical responsibilities do streaming platforms have to protect human artists from AI copyright infringement?
• How is the continuing fragmentation and "death of the monoculture" impacting the way political campaigns engage with young voters in the 2026 election cycle?

9. Presidency and Executive Power

• Are the Trump administration’s reported attempts to use executive authority to acquire or lease Greenland a strategic geopolitical masterstroke or a dangerous overreach of presidential power?
• In light of recent rebukes by the Court of International Trade, has the executive branch systemically abused its tariff authorities under the Trade Act of 1974?
• Should the Senate confirm Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve Board, or does his nomination represent an undue politicization of the central bank by the executive branch?

10. Social and Cultural Issues

• How is the growing urban-rural divide affecting the equitable allocation of federal infrastructure grants for high-speed internet and transportation?
• Does the increasing prevalence of "sanctuary policies" in suburban counties effectively protect immigrant communities, or do they undermine federal law enforcement efforts?
• What federal interventions are most necessary to address the "loneliness epidemic" currently exacerbating the U.S. mental health crisis?

11. U.S. Economics and Business

• With Jerome Powell’s term expiring, will a shift in Federal Reserve leadership fundamentally alter the nation's long-term strategy on inflation and interest rates?
• How should U.S. labor laws be reformed in 2026 to protect the rapidly growing segment of independent contractors in the gig economy?
• Is the ongoing push for "on-shoring" semiconductor manufacturing yielding sufficient economic returns to justify the massive federal subsidies provided to tech corporations?

12. U.S. Foreign Policy (Domestic Implications)

• Ahead of President Trump’s state visit to China, how should the administration leverage domestic agricultural and aerospace exports to temper Beijing's posturing toward Taiwan?
• Does the ongoing Strait of Hormuz shipping crisis prove that the U.S. policy of conditional, transactional commitments to Middle Eastern allies negatively impacts domestic energy prices?
• In 2026, is the expansion of U.S. military bases in the Indo-Pacific an effective deterrent against foreign aggression, or an unnecessary drain on the domestic defense budget?

13. The U.S. Next Week

• As the House votes on the year-round sale of E15 gasoline next week, what are the immediate and long-term economic implications for the American agricultural sector?
• What are the primary geopolitical stakes for the U.S. economy as President Trump meets with Xi Jinping in Beijing to discuss a new board of trade framework?
• Will the Senate Banking Committee's scheduled markup of the CLARITY Act next week finally bring much-needed stability and oversight to the American digital asset sector?