Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) responded calmly when asked about a recent Republican proposal aimed at banning foreign-born individuals from serving in Congress. “I wish her the best,” Omar noted when giving her thoughts on the proposed bill.
On Wednesday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) unveiled a resolution that seeks to amend the Constitution. This amendment would require all Congress members, federal judges, and Senate-approved officials to be natural-born citizens, mirroring the standards in place for the president and vice president.
In a social media post, Mace specifically named Omar, along with two others, as targets of her resolution. Born in Somalia, Omar gained U.S. citizenship in 2000.
Currently, there are 26 non-native citizens in Congress—19 Democrats and 7 Republicans. Despite the proposal, Omar expressed that she isn’t worried about how long the legislative process might take.
Mace articulated her stance, stating, “If you’re going to hold power in the United States government, you should be a natural-born American citizen.” She added that foreign-born lawmakers may not be fully loyal to the U.S.
Changing the Constitution is undeniably challenging, as it requires two-thirds of both congressional houses and ratification from three-quarters of the states.
So far, the proposal lacks widespread support from House Republican leaders and hasn’t attracted many co-sponsors.
Omar was also queried about another proposal from Republican Rep. Randy Fine in Florida, which seeks to prohibit those with dual citizenship from serving in Congress. Fine emphasized that those in Congress should be solely committed to the U.S.
When asked about Fine’s bill, Omar appeared somewhat puzzled, responding, “Who is that?” Fine’s proposal hasn’t progressed significantly since being submitted to the House Judiciary Committee last year.
