A new constitutional amendment proposal from Rep. Nancy Mace is igniting fierce debate in Washington by seeking to dramatically expand the “natural-born citizen” requirement far beyond the presidency. The South Carolina Republican wants to bar naturalized citizens from serving not only as president or vice president, but also from holding seats in Congress, serving as federal judges, or occupying Senate-confirmed positions throughout the federal government.
Mace plans to introduce the joint resolution as she ramps up her campaign for governor of South Carolina, framing the proposal as a question of loyalty and national interest. Under the current Constitution, only natural-born citizens are prohibited from becoming president or vice president. Naturalized citizens, however, are fully eligible to serve in Congress, hold Cabinet positions, and sit on federal courts.
Mace argues that distinction is outdated.
“If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen,” Mace told Fox News Digital. “For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day.”
Mace singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota Democrat born in Somalia who became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Omar has long been a lightning rod for conservatives over her criticism of American foreign policy and comments regarding Israel and the Middle East.
“Ilhan Omar is just one of many foreign-born members of this government who have made clear, time and again, their loyalty is not here,” Mace said. “The American people deserve leaders who put America first.”
The proposal arrives amid escalating Republican scrutiny of Omar. Vice President JD Vance stated Tuesday that the Department of Justice is reportedly investigating Omar for possible immigration fraud, though few details about the alleged investigation have been publicly released. Some Republicans have openly called for Omar’s deportation if wrongdoing is proven.
Still, Mace’s amendment would extend far beyond Omar and would affect lawmakers from both political parties, including several Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump.
Among those who could no longer serve under the proposal is Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, a Trump ally born in Colombia who became a U.S. citizen at age 18. Republican Representatives Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Young Kim of California, and Victoria Spartz of Indiana would also become ineligible due to being born in Mexico, South Korea, and Ukraine respectively before later becoming American citizens.
Democrats affected by the proposal include Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Rep. Ted Lieu and Rep. Robert Garcia of California, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, all of whom immigrated to the United States before becoming citizens.
The amendment would also have rewritten the eligibility rules for major executive branch appointments. Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, born in Taiwan, and former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, born in Cuba, both would have been barred from serving in presidential administrations.
The proposal faces overwhelming constitutional hurdles. Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate before ratification by three-fourths of the states. No serious constitutional amendment effort of this scale has succeeded in modern American politics, particularly one that would strip eligibility from millions of naturalized citizens.
Critics are already arguing that the proposal creates a second-class status for Americans who legally immigrated and completed the citizenship process. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that the highest levels of federal authority should be reserved exclusively for those born as American citizens from birth.
