May 2026 Extemp Topics

May 29, 2026

NFHS Extemporaneous Speaking Topics
May 2026

Domestic

Closed-Ended

  1. Will Rep. Tony Gonzalez’s resignation from Congress have a significant impact on the balance of power in the House of Representatives?

  2. Will President Trump’s remarks regarding Pope Leo’s positions do harm to the President’s support among religious voters?

  3. Will the recent agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and the US military allow for enforcement of American airspace while avoiding disruptions in air travel?

  4. Is Vice President Vance losing favor with President Trump?

  5. Is the proposed Triumphal Arch for the entrance to Washington, DC an expense taxpayers will support?

  6. Can Mark Lynch defeat Lindsey Graham in the South Carolina Senate race?

  7. Will SpaceX beat Blue Origin in the race to build a lunar lander for NASA?

  8. Do recent statements by President Trump signal an openness to relax restrictions on international student entry into the US?

  9. Will Janet Mills prevail in the Maine Democratic primary for the US Senate?

  10. Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a serious contender for the 2028 presidential race?

  11. Should State governments invest more in vocational training programs than in traditional higher education?

  12. Should more states adopt a primary model similar to California’s?

Domestic

Open-Ended

  1. How will Eric Swalwell’s exit from the California Governor’s race impact its outcome?

  2. What impact will Melania Trump’s recent statement denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein have on the President’s efforts to distance his administration from the Epstein Files controversy?

  3. What insights can be drawn from the outcome of recent state-level primary races?

  4. How will the claims of the new FEMA Director of Response and Recovery, Greg Phillips, that he was once teleported to a Waffle House, impact the credibility of the organization’s leadership?

  5. How will the success of the recent Artemis II mission shape the future of the US space program?

  6. How will acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s leadership shape the Department of Justice?

  7. How will continued high levels of inflation impact the American economy this summer?

  8. What price increases are having the greatest impact on everyday citizens’ lives?

  9. How will the electoral losses of Hungary's Viktor Orban, a popular figure among American conservatives, impact Republican strategy in 2026?

  10. Which generative AI platform is having the greatest impact on the industry’s growth?

  11. How will JD Vance’s leadership in negotiations with Iran impact his standing in Republican politics?

  12. How will President Trump’s Executive Order regulating college sports impact the competitiveness of those sports?

  13. To what extent has Jeanine Pirro’s tenure as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia met expectations relative to her prior high-profile media career with Fox News?

International

Closed-Ended

  1. Does the failure of Viktor Orban to win reelection in Hungary’s parliamentary elections signal a possible trend for other right-leaning parties in Europe?

  2. Is the Islamic State making increased inroads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

  3. Is Cuba’s economic future a capitalist one?

  4. Will the use of military force against drug cartels by Latin American nations succeed in weakening them?

  5. Will the North American World Cup be safe for visitors?

  6. Can China and Taiwan agree to a peaceful reduction of tensions?

  7. Does North Korea’s adoption of cluster munitions increase the threat posed by the country toward its neighbors?

  8. Can China grow its nuclear arsenal fast enough to pose a significant threat to the United States?

  9. Will the ongoing war in the Middle East bring down Israel’s government?

  10. Can the UK and Norway succeed in their efforts to deter the operation of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic?

  11. Is the NATO alliance about to breathe its last breath?

  12. Will recent actions by the United States in the Middle East cost the US its relationship with Oman?

International

Open-Ended

  1. How will Peter Magyar’s leadership change political freedoms in Hungary?

  2. How will the UK’s decision to pause the Chagos Islands transfer to Mauritius impact the relationship between the two nations?

  3. How will increased emigration of Caucasian South Africans to the United States impact the South African agriculture industry?

  4. What steps can Lebanon take to successfully disarm Hezbollah?

  5. What role can Turkey play in helping stabilize the Middle East?

  6. How has the war against Iran impacted the European Union economy?

  7. What steps can India take to increase its independence from foreign oil?

  8. What steps can Israel’s government take to maintain unity among the nation’s varying political factions?

  9. How have drones changed the shape of modern warfare?

  10. How will Peru’s elections impact the ongoing political instability there?

  11. How will Russia benefit from the ongoing disruptions in the global oil supply?

  12. What steps can the Japanese government take to grow the proportion of its electricity coming from nuclear power?

  13. With the Liberal Party taking majority control of Canada’s parliament, what changes will Mark Carney be able to enact?