Reference Shelf: National Debate Topic, 2026-2027

Each year since 1925, students from around the country engage in debates informed by the National Forensic League's (NFL) yearly national debate topic. Subjects under consideration for this year's debate topic include Domestic Climate Policy/Carbon Pricing, Antitrust Liability/Corporate Control, Domestic Renewable Energy Policy, National Health Insurance, and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Arsenal. Through samples of the best and most recent journalism and popular writing on the chosen topic, The Reference Shelf provides an essential guide for students, teachers, and others interested in taking a deeper look at some of the most pressing and popular controversies in this current moment of American history.