NFHS Extemporaneous Speaking Topics
December 2025

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Will Democrats succeed in convincing voters that Republicans bear responsibility for increases in Affordable Care Act premiums?

2. Will recent controversies cause Tucker Carlson to lose his following among conservative media consumers?

3. Does the outcome of the November 2025 elections indicate a shift of voters toward support for the Democratic Party?

4. Does Representative Marjorie Taylor Green’s public split with President Trump signal an emerging divide within the Republican Party?

5. Do opponents suing to block California’s “Proposition 50,” redrawing the boundaries of its Congressional districts, have a viable case?

6. Is Alaska’s plan to allow voting by internet and phone a good idea?

7. Will the controversy over releasing the Epstein files have any meaningful impact on the 2026 elections?

8. Will continued attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean destabilize America’s anti-drug alliances in Latin America?

9. Will President Trump’s trade policy break America’s addiction to low-cost goods from overseas?

10. Can the federal government afford making $2,000 payments to taxpayers as President Trump has suggested?

11. Does the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have the capacity to return humans to the Moon as currently planned with the Artemis campaign?

12. Is technology that interfaces computers with the human brain promising?

13. Should America focus its resources on adapting to the effects of climate change rather than trying to prevent it?

Open-Ended

1. How will the decision of a small group of Senate Democrats to support ending the government shutdown impact the Democratic Party’s support among voters?

2. How did the longest government shutdown in United States history impact the American economy?

3. How will the election of Zohran Mamdani impact the policies of New York City’s government?

4. What weaknesses in America’s aviation infrastructure has the recent government shutdown exposed?

5. What impact have tariffs had on the affordability of America’s food supply?

6. How would President Trump’s plan to reduce the cost of GLP-1 medications impact the state of Americans’ health?

7. How will the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s decision to shift funds intended to fight homelessness toward work and drug treatment programs impact efforts to support the unhoused?

8. How is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement impacting support for the Republican Party?

9. How will the federal government’s new eligibility restrictions for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits impact America’s attempts to combat hunger?

10. How will recent Congressional legislation closing the “THC Loophole” impact the nation’s hemp industry?

11. How has Senator Chuck Schumer’s leadership impacted the Democratic Party’s effectiveness in clarifying its message?

12. What would be a good strategy for the federal government to curb inflation?

International

Closed-Ended

1. Should the United States authorize the sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia?

2. Will popular support for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum decrease amidst a wave of protests organized by members of Generation Z?

3. Will Russian pressures on Ukrainians’ access to energy force Ukraine to give into Russian demands to cede territory?

4. With the Gaza ceasefire well underway, are Gazans getting the food and water they need to survive?

5. Will Canada’s drive to expand natural resource projects decrease the government’s support among indigenous communities?

6. Does Pakistan’s growing favor in Washington pose a threat to India?

7. With a ceasefire in Gaza now in place, is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political position less secure?

8. Will Emmanuel Macron soon be forced into dissolving France’s parliament and calling elections?

9. Will Viktor Orbán lose elections in Hungary in 2026?

10. Could the British government move to reverse its nearly decade-old Brexit decision?

11. Can South Korea’s president repair strained relations with Japan?

12. Can Taiwan protect itself without American support?

Open-Ended

1. What steps can the United Nations take to address mounting evidence of atrocities against civilians in Sudan?

2. How will accusations of electoral irregularities in Bihar Province impact trust in the Modi government among Indian people?

3. What steps can China take to slow the loss of factories moving to Vietnam?

4. How will the scandal facing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor impact British support for the royal family?

5. How will an ongoing corruption inquiry impact the Ukrainian people’s confidence in Volodymyr Zelensky?

6. If the AI economy’s bubble bursts, what will be the impact on the global economy?

7. What measures can China take to decrease the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals out of the country?

8. Other than a direct invasion of the island, what threats can China leverage against Taiwan?

9. How will Lithuania’s decision to seal its border with Belarus impact the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad?

10. What steps can Asian nations take to protect Rohingya refugees from Myanmar?

11. What steps should Vietnam’s government take to sustain its remarkable economic growth?

12. How will Timor-Leste benefit from joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)?

13. How will Japan’s new Prime Minister change the country’s defense policies?