U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, has introduced a proposal to bar foreign-born naturalized citizens from serving in Congress and other Senate-confirmed federal positions, as the Supreme Court continues issuing rulings connected to Presid
By the time the Supreme Court began rolling out decisions for the new term on May 21, Rep. Nancy Mace was already laying out a sharper line about who should hold high federal power.
Mace, 48, a Republican from South Carolina, unveiled legislation that would bar foreign-born U.S. citizens from becoming federal judges and from being appointed to Senate-confirmed positions. She is also framing the effort as a constitutional amendment. In a post on X on May 20, Mace called her push a “long overdue joint resolution”.
“This is the very same standard the President and Vice President are already required to meet,” Mace wrote on May 20. “The people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America. Not any other country.”
Her proposal lands in the middle of a legal storm over birthright citizenship, after President Donald Trump issued a February executive order directing federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of babies born in the United States if neither parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The Supreme Court on May 21 continued issuing decisions for the term, including rulings tied to Trump’s birthright citizenship order and separate fights over transgender athletes.
Mace’s bill also brings a direct political target into view. In her post, she named three Democrats currently serving in the U.S. House who were born outside the United States: Ilhan Omar. a Democrat from Minnesota born in Somalia; Shri Thaneda. a Democrat from Michigan born in India; and Pramila Jayapal. a Democrat from Washington born in India.
“All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress,” Mace wrote. “All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America.”
Jayapal fired back quickly. On May 20. Pramila Jayapal responded to Mace’s proposal by calling it “racist legislation that denies the very history of a country that has been proudly shaped by immigrants.” In a statement. Jayapal added that the proposal “is also insulting to the hundreds of thousands of constituents who elected naturalized citizens into office.” She said the legislation “has no place in Congress” and urged “all my colleagues − including my Republican colleagues who are naturalized citizens − to condemn this.”.
The sequence of events places Mace’s bid in a live constitutional debate. Trump’s February order is being tested in court, and the Supreme Court’s May 21 rulings show the term is continuing to grapple with the boundaries of citizenship and eligibility for government roles.
At the same time, lawmakers are already colliding over what eligibility should mean in practice: whether loyalty should be tied to place of birth, or whether naturalized citizens should hold the same route to federal leadership.
Mace’s push has also landed her in a larger political spotlight beyond this issue. She became the first Republican woman elected to Congress from South Carolina in 2021. She criticized Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot before later becoming one of his closest allies. Mace also launched a campaign for the state’s gubernatorial race in August.
Her Republican opponents in the June 9 primary include Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, Businessman Rom Reddy, and Jacqueline Hicks DuBose. In the Democratic primary, State Rep. Jermaine Johnson of Richland. Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod. and former president Bill Clinton staffer Billy Webster are running. as reported by the Greenville News.
The general election takes place on Nov. 3.
The developments around Mace’s proposal come as the court’s approach to birthright citizenship continues to evolve, leaving a question at the center of both legal arguments and political fallout: who gets to serve, and on what constitutional terms.
Nancy Mace naturalized citizens Congress eligibility constitutional amendment birthright citizenship Supreme Court Donald Trump executive order Ilhan Omar Shri Thaneda Pramila Jayapal
So basically Congress can’t be international now? Wild.
I saw the headline and it feels like she’s trying to punish people for being born elsewhere. Like… naturalized Americans already had to prove they’re citizens, right?
Idk if this even makes sense because being “naturalized” means they’re literally American already lol. Also if Supreme Court is “in a legal storm” then why is she making it a constitutional amendment like it’s easy.
This is gonna backfire. Next they’ll bar people who have foreign grandparents or something. She’s naming Democrats and I’m just like wow so the loyalty test is only for certain folks. Plus Trump’s birthright thing already had me confused, like are we rewriting citizenship every other week now?