September 2025 Extemp Topics

BY NFHS ON October 6, 2025 | EXTEMP TOPICS, RESOURCES, SPEECH_DEBATE

NFHS Extemporaneous Speaking Topics
September 2025

Domestic
Closed-Ended

  1. Given the recent controversy created by President Trump’s use of the National Guard as a police force in the District of Columbia, should efforts be renewed to seek statehood for the federal district? 

  2. With President Trump’s stepped-up law enforcement in the nation’s capital, will he attempt to extend federal policing to other major cities? 

  3. Will a Mississippi law banning the use of social media sites by minors survive scrutiny by federal courts? 

  4. Has the Justice Department been sufficiently transparent regarding its investigations of Jeffrey Epstein? 

  5. Should state legislators be held criminally liable if they deliberately avoid attending legislative sessions, as has recently happened in Texas? 

  6. Can Sherrod Brown mount a successful comeback in next year’s Ohio Senate race? 

  7. Has DOGE lost its steam after the departure of Elon Musk? 

  8. Should the United States change the way in which congressional districts are drawn? 

  9. With uncertainty over unemployment and inflation rates, will the Federal Reserve continue to hold the line on interest rates? 

  10. Should regulators follow the advice of former Texas Governor, Rick Perry, and deregulate the use of the psychotropic drug Ibogaine? 

  11. Will the change in leadership at the Bureau of Labor Statistics guarantee accurate employment data will be issued by the agency? 

  12. Is the United States doing enough to become self-reliant on microchip production? 

  13. Is the banking industry’s recent embrace of cryptocurrency good for the American economy? 

Domestic
Open-Ended

  1. How will Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s taking direct control over the IRS impact the work of the agency? 

  2. How will recent orders to review historical content at National Parks and the Smithsonian Institution impact visitors’ understanding of American history? 

  3. How will the White House’s decision to host a UFC fight on its grounds on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence reflect on the Trump presidency? 

  4. What steps can the federal judiciary take to better protect its computer systems against cyberattacks? 

  5. How will increasing financial pressures impact the delivery of American higher education? 

  6. How can Democrats recapture the support of Black and Hispanic voters who shifted their support to Republicans in 2024? 

  7. How will President Trump’s decision to order the US military to deploy against drug cartels impact US relations with Latin America? 

  8. How will US actions to withdraw American leadership from the fight against climate change impact the efforts of other nations? 

  9. How will the policies of RFK, Jr., impact the delivery of vaccines for various seasonal infections this year? 

  10. How is President Trump’s popularity with the working class impacting the historical relationship between unions and the Democratic Party? 

  11. What impact is US tariff policy having on the American economy? 

  12. What do earnings reports by American car manufacturers say about the future of the US economy? 

International
Closed-Ended

  1. Is political change in Bangladesh moving too slowly to keep the peace there? 

  2. Should NATO extend security guarantees, based on Article V of the NATO Charter, to Ukraine despite its lacking membership in the organization? 

  3. Has the global demand for oil reached its peak? 

  4. Could the Zelensky presidency survive a decision to exchange Ukrainian land for peace with Russia? 

  5. Will discontent by Israeli protestors lead to a change in course by the Israeli government in Gaza? 

  6. Who will prevail in Bolivia’s presidential runoff election? 

  7. Can the International Criminal Court make a strong case for war crimes charges in Sudan’s Darfur region? 

  8. Should African nations expand American access to critical minerals at the expense of China? 

  9. Is Sara Duterte the probable front runner for the 2028 Philippine presidential election? 

  10. Should Japan increase its percentage of GDP spending on defense to 3.5%, as the United States recommends? 

  11. Should Norway break the limits of the Svalbard Treaty limiting its sovereignty over the islands? 

  12. Is it time for Switzerland to end its historical neutrality? 

International
Open-Ended

  1. What can global health organizations do to control the cholera outbreak in Africa? 

  2. What steps can the Israeli government take to curtail violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians living in the West Bank? 

  3. What concrete steps could the international community take to advance the creation of Palestinian state? 

  4. What steps can the government of Lesotho take to undo the damage caused to their economy by US tariffs? 

  5. How will South Africa’s corruption inquiry into the activities of its Police Minister impact support for the government? 

  6. What steps can Canada’s government take to better combat its annual wildfire problem? 

  7. What steps can India take to capitalize on the global demand for weight loss drugs? 

  8. What issues should Tamaki Yuichiro focus on if he wants to become Japan’s next Prime Minister? 

  9. What steps must Hezbollah's opponents in the Lebanese government take to minimize the organization’s influence? 

  10. What steps can European nations take to protect shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis? 

  11. What steps can Iraq’s government take to reduce Iran’s influence over Shia militias operating in its territory? 

  12. What must Western nations do if they want to get around China’s dominance of the rare earth minerals market? 

  13. What nation is best positioned to fill the gap in AIDS assistance to Africa with the withdrawal of US aid?