Proposed Constitutional Amendment: Natural-Born Citizenship Requirement for Government Officials
A new proposal by Rep. Nancy Mace, a House Republican from South Carolina, aims to amend the U.S. Constitution to require members of Congress, federal judges, and other Senate-confirmed appointees to be natural-born citizens. This proposal would impact several naturalized citizens currently serving in Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats. Mace argues that naturalized citizens may have divided loyalties and believes that those in power in the American government should be natural-born citizens.
Specifically, Mace called out Rep. Ilhan Omar, a progressive Democrat from Minnesota who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized citizen in 2000. Mace criticized foreign-born members of the government for allegedly prioritizing their loyalty elsewhere. The proposal faces significant challenges in becoming part of the Constitution, requiring a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of U.S. states.
If Mace's proposal were to become law, it would impact several foreign-born members of Congress, including Republicans like Sen. Bernie Moreno from Ohio and Reps. Juan Ciscomani, Young Kim, and Victoria Spartz. On the Democratic side, lawmakers like Pramila Jayapal, Ted Lieu, Robert Garcia, and Raja Krishnamoorthi would also be affected. Additionally, former Trump Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas would have been ineligible to serve in cabinet posts under the proposed amendment. The debate over the loyalty and eligibility of naturalized citizens in government continues to be a contentious issue.