Economy & Trade
The U.S. national debt recently crossed this enormous milestone
What is $40 trillion?
The November 2026 elections will determine control of these two chambers of the federal legislature.
What are the House of Representatives and Senate
Congress recently acted to prevent this disruption, which occurs when appropriations expire without new funding.
What is a government shutdown
This is the highest court in the United States.
What is the Supreme Court
The United States has recently exchanged military strikes with this Middle Eastern country.
What is Iran
This longtime U.S. ally recently announced retaliatory tariffs as its trade dispute with Washington intensified.
What is Canada
All of the seats in this chamber are up for election every two years.
What is the House of Representatives
The House recently passed temporary government funding through this December date.
What is December 11, 2026
The Supreme Court recently allowed construction to continue on President Trump's planned $400 million project at this famous address.
What is the White House
Iranian retaliation has targeted U.S. facilities and allies in the region surrounding this body of water.
What is the Persian Gulf
These taxes on imported goods are intended to protect domestic producers but can also raise prices for consumers.
What are tariffs?
This 80-year-old Massachusetts senator recently defeated Representative Seth Moulton in the Democratic Senate primary.
Who is Ed Markey
A controversy over mail ballots involves an administration order requiring this federal agency to implement new election-mail procedures.
What is the United States Postal Service (USPS)
President Trump has been working on this White House project which is a new large ceremonial rooms.
What is a ballroom
The renewed conflict has increased concerns about shipping and energy supplies through this strategically important passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea.
What is the Strait of Hormuz
At a recent G20 meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said 19 members agreed that streams of “cheap exports” were unsustainable, while this country disagreed.
What is China
Concerns about electricity prices, water use, AI and local development have made these massive computing facilities an unexpected 2026 campaign issue.
What are data centers
The country's highest-ranking military officer said this week that there are no plans to station these personnel at polling places during the November elections.
What are U.S. troops / military personnel
Legal battles over voting rules often turn on the Constitution's division of authority between the national government and these governments, which traditionally administer elections.
What are the states
The Trump administration's Iran policy is becoming politically significant because this nationwide election is only about two months away.
What are the 2026 midterm elections
A major political criticism of the AI boom concerns data centers' effects on this household expense
What are electricity / utility bills?
An internal Republican memo warned that voter anger over data centers could particularly hurt this Republican Ohio senator in his race against Sherrod Brown.
Who is Jon Husted
Many disputes surrounding tariffs, immigration enforcement and federal agencies raise this broad constitutional question: how much authority does this branch possess without congressional approval?
What is the executive branch / presidential power
This constitutional principle allows federal courts to determine whether executive or legislative actions violate the Constitution.
What is judicial review
Foreign-policy debates over Iran provide Congressional Debate students with a classic constitutional clash between presidential commander-in-chief authority and Congress's authority over this fundamental decision.
What is war / the power to authorize war