Speaker of the House

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of the majority party in that chamber. The Constitution (Article I, Section 2) provides that the House "shall chuse their Speaker," and it does not require that the Speaker be a member of the House, although every Speaker has been.

The Speaker is elected by a majority of the members voting at the beginning of each Congress, and the election can take multiple ballots when the majority party is divided, as in January 2023, when it took 15 ballots. Powers include presiding over debate, recognizing members, referring bills to committees, influencing the schedule through the House Rules Committee and appointing members to some committees. The Speaker is second in the line of presidential succession, after the vice president.

The Speaker's authority depends on the support of the majority party. Conservative critics have at times argued that Speakers consolidate too much power, leading to rule changes such as a lower threshold for a motion to vacate the chair, while other members stress the need for strong leadership to pass priorities. The Speaker usually does not vote except to break a tie, though members may vote. Other leaders include the majority leader and whip.