Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Seal of the speaker
Incumbent
Mike Johnson
since October 25, 2023
United States House of Representatives
Style
  • Mr. Speaker (informal – male)
  • Madam Speaker (informal – female)
  • The Honorable (formal)
StatusPresiding officer
SeatUnited States Capitol, Washington, D.C.
NominatorParty caucus / conference (primarily)
AppointerHouse of Representatives
Term lengthAt the House's pleasure; elected at the beginning of the new Congress by a majority of the representatives-elect, and upon a vacancy during a Congress.[1]
Constituting instrumentConstitution of the United States, article I, § 2, cl. 5[2]
FormationMarch 4, 1789 (1789-03-04)
First holderFrederick Muhlenberg
SuccessionSecond (3 U.S.C. § 19)[3]
Salary$223,500 annually[4]
Websitewww.speaker.gov

The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section II, of the U.S. Constitution.[a] By custom and House rules, the speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer, de facto leader of the body's majority party, and the institution's administrative head. Speakers also perform various other administrative and procedural functions. Given these several roles and responsibilities, the speaker usually does not personally preside over debates—that duty is instead delegated to members of the House from the majority party—nor regularly participate in floor debates.[7]

The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, although every speaker thus far has been, and as a member the speaker also represents their district and retains the right to vote.[8][9] The speaker is second in the United States presidential line of succession, after the vice president and ahead of the president pro tempore of the Senate.[3]

The 56th and current Speaker of the House is Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana.[10]

  1. ^ "Speaker Elections Decided by Multiple Ballots". history.house.gov. United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. ^ "Constitution Annotated". constitution.congress.gov. United States Government. March 4, 1789. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Relyea, Harold C. (August 5, 2005). "Continuity of Government: Current Federal Arrangements and the Future" (PDF). CRS Report for Congress. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress. pp. 2–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Brudnick, Ida A. (January 4, 2012). "Congressional Salaries and Allowances" (PDF). CRS Report for Congress. United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  5. ^ Rossiter 2003, p. 543.
  6. ^ Heitshusen, Valerie (May 16, 2017). The Speaker of the House: House Officer, Party Leader, and Representative (Report). Congressional Research Service. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Chapter 34: Office of the Speaker (PDF). GovInfo.Gov (Report).
  8. ^ Heitshusen, Valerie (May 16, 2017). The Speaker of the House: House Officer, Party Leader, and Representative (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020. In fact, there is no requirement that the Speaker be a Member of the House.
  9. ^ Williams, Pete (October 9, 2015). "Can An Outsider Be Speaker of the House?". NBC News. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Mychael Schnell; Emily Brooks (October 25, 2023). "House elects Mike Johnson as Speaker, ending GOP chaos". The Hill. Retrieved October 25, 2023.


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