A House Republican Proposes a Constitutional Amendment Barring Naturalized Citizens From Congress and the Federal Bench — Naming Three Democrats, and Disqualifying Four Republicans and a Republican Senator She Did Not Mention
On May 20, 2026, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment that would require members of Congress, federal judges and Senate-confirmed appointees to be natural-born U.S. citizens — extending to the whole federal government a requirement the Constitution imposes only on the president. Naturalized citizens currently serving would be disqualified. Mace singled out three foreign-born Democrats in making her case: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), born in Somalia; Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), born in India; and Shri Thanedar (D-MI), born in India. A May 1, 2026 Congressional Research Service report counted roughly 19 foreign-born members of the current Congress. Among them are four Republican House members the amendment would also disqualify — Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), born in Ukraine; Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), born in Cuba; Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), born in Mexico; and Young Kim (R-CA), born in South Korea — along with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), a Trump ally born in Colombia who became a citizen at 18. None of them responded to reporters' requests for comment. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus noted publicly that four sitting Republicans were not citizens at birth. Because it is a constitutional amendment, the measure would require two-thirds of both chambers and ratification by three-fourths of the states — a practical impossibility — but it has continued to shape the debate. On August 27, 2026, the Washington Post's Toluse Olorunnipa reported that the push had broadened: Republican lawmakers in several states have introduced measures to bar naturalized and dual citizens from running for state office, and at least five Republicans in Congress have called for barring them from federal judgeships, Cabinet posts, ambassadorships and congressional seats. The reporting tied the escalation to the rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other naturalized officials. Democratic reaction was immediate and uniform; no Republican member has publicly endorsed the amendment on the record.
“This isn’t personal. It’s about what standard we want for the people entrusted with enormous power over the American people.”