Nancy Mace Proposes Constitutional Amendment Affecting Naturalized Citizens

Representative Nancy Mace has put forward a constitutional amendment aimed at preventing naturalized U.S. citizens from being members of Congress, federal judges, or holding positions that require Senate confirmation. In a post on X, the South Carolina Republican, who is currently pursuing the gubernatorial race in the state, expressed that the proposed amendment is a necessary change and aligns with the standards already set for the President and Vice President.

Currently, the U.S. Constitution requires that both the President and Vice President be natural-born citizens but only mandates that members of Congress be U.S. citizens. As of May, data shows 26 House representatives and six senators were born outside the United States but hold U.S. citizenship. Among them are 23 Democrats and nine Republicans.

Mace highlighted three foreign-born House Democrats in her post: Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, Shri Thanedar from Michigan, and Pramila Jayapal from Washington. She commented, “All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America.” She argued that those in positions of shaping U.S. laws should possess unwavering loyalty to America, declaring that the amendment aims to eliminate perceived foreign loyalties in government roles.

Jayapal criticized Mace’s proposal, stating: “Instead of addressing issues affecting Americans, Nancy Mace is promoting racist legislation that neglects the immigrant contributions to the nation’s history.” She further described the proposal as narrow-minded and xenophobic, calling on Congress members, including Republican naturalized citizens, to reject the legislation.

Thanedar responded to Mace’s post, advising her to “fix your drinking problem before criticizing those who worked hard to be here and contribute.” Mace has previously denied allegations regarding excessive drinking.

Federal legislators born abroad include:

• Senators: Michael Bennet (D‑CO) from India, Ted Cruz (R‑TX) from Canada, Tammy Duckworth (D‑IL) from Thailand, Mazie Hirono (D‑HI) from Japan, Bernie Moreno (R‑OH) from Colombia, Chris Van Hollen (D‑MD) from Pakistan.
• Representatives: Becca Balint (D‑VT) from Germany, Don Beyer (D‑VA) from Free Territory of Trieste, Salud Carbajal (D‑CA) from Mexico, Sean Casten (D‑IL) from Ireland, Juan Ciscomani (R‑AZ) from Mexico, Andrew Clyde (R‑GA) from Canada, Dan Crenshaw (R‑TX) from Scotland, Sharice Davids (D‑KS) from Germany, and others listed in the source text.

Newsweek has reached out to Omar’s office for comment.