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What is the Speaker of the House?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

The Speaker of the House in the US is the leader of the House of Representatives. He or she usually guides the debates occurring in the House, decides on how the House will proceed, and is involved in some administrative duties like announcing final voting counts on issues. In the US, this person is also second in line to take over the presidency after the vice president. Should the president and the vice president be unable to serve, the Speaker would gain the office.

Generally, the majority party elects the speaker, and as such, often the majority party retains control of decisions made on bills that come before the House. Some well known Speakers of the House include Tip O'Neil, Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, and Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to fill the role.

The Speaker of the House presides over the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the two chambers of Congress.
The Speaker of the House presides over the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the two chambers of Congress.

While theoretically, the Speaker is the leader of the entire House, he or she normally aligns with his or her party in decisions, and helps to advocate for particular rulings the majority party wishes to see passed. This has historically been the case, though a few have shown some bipartisanship in leading the House of Representatives.

Other countries also have some version of the Speaker of the House. The US Speaker is similar to the Speaker for the House of Commons in the UK. The Speaker is only permitted to vote on issues, however, if a vote is tied. The Canadian House and Senate both have speakers as well.

Historically, few Speakers of the House have been bipartisan in leading the House of Representatives.
Historically, few Speakers of the House have been bipartisan in leading the House of Representatives.

The US Senate does not have a speaker, but instead is often administrated by a presiding officer, who functions much in the same way. Technically, the presiding officer or leader of the Senate is the vice president. Yet, more frequently, he or she is a senator from the majority party. However, as with the House of Commons in the UK, the vice president votes in the Senate only in the case of a tied vote.

The Canadian parliament has speakers in both houses.
The Canadian parliament has speakers in both houses.

Other variants of Speaker of the House may be called President of certain legislative bodies, like President of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. In Ireland, the leader of the lowest house of parliament, Dáil Éireann, is called the Ceann Comhairle. His or her function is similar to that of other speaker positions throughout the world.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent UnitedStatesNow contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent UnitedStatesNow contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon143064

the speaker of the house holds that position for two years.

anon71763

Isn't the speaker of the house appointed by the president, in this case it was president bush?

anon40353

How can the speaker of the house be removed?

anon31559

How much longer will Pelosi be in office?

anon27259

How long does the speaker of the house hold that position?

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    • The Speaker of the House presides over the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the two chambers of Congress.
      By: vlad_g
      The Speaker of the House presides over the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the two chambers of Congress.
    • Historically, few Speakers of the House have been bipartisan in leading the House of Representatives.
      By: Jeffrey Schwartz
      Historically, few Speakers of the House have been bipartisan in leading the House of Representatives.
    • The Canadian parliament has speakers in both houses.
      By: AndreasEdelmann
      The Canadian parliament has speakers in both houses.