The question asking for the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives had an unusually busy year in 2023, and USCIS changed its accepted answers several times. On 6 November 2023 the civics test updates page listed Mike Johnson, Johnson or his birth name James Michael Johnson as the answer, for both the 2008 and 2020 versions of the test.
Key facts
- New answer Mike Johnson (also James Michael Johnson)
- Updated 6 November 2023
- Grace period Patrick McHenry accepted until 1 December 2023
- Earlier in 2023 Kevin McCarthy replaced Nancy Pelosi
How the answer changed
At the start of 2023 the page still showed Nancy Pelosi. By late February it had been updated to Kevin McCarthy. In October, after the post became vacant, USCIS accepted Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, or a statement that there was no Speaker. When Mike Johnson took the post, USCIS gave applicants a short grace period: until 1 December 2023, Patrick McHenry was also accepted.
The rule behind all of these changes is the same. USCIS asks for the name of the official serving at the time of your interview, and it publishes the accepted answers on its test updates page whenever an election, appointment or change in the law affects them.
What this means
Questions about the President, Vice President, Speaker and Chief Justice can change between the day you start studying and the day of your interview. Do not rely on a printed flashcard or an old app for these. Open the USCIS test updates page in the days before your interview, learn the name currently shown, and if the officer asks during a period of change, the page will say whether any earlier name is still accepted. As of October 2026 the page shows Mike Johnson as Speaker.