Rep. Ilhan Omar brushed off a newly proposed Republican constitutional amendment that would bar foreign-born individuals from serving in Congress, dismissing the effort with a sarcastic response.
“Good luck to her,” Omar told Fox News Digital when asked about the proposal introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace.
Mace announced Wednesday that she plans to introduce a constitutional amendment requiring members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officials to be natural-born American citizens — the same constitutional standard currently applied to presidents and vice presidents.
“This amendment is long overdue,” Mace said while unveiling the proposal.
The South Carolina Republican specifically singled out Omar in a social media post announcing the measure, alongside Reps. Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal.
“All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth,” Mace wrote. “All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America.”
Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized American citizen in 2000, appeared unconcerned about the proposal gaining traction.
Currently, 26 members of Congress were born outside the United States, including 19 Democrats and seven Republicans.
Changing the Constitution would require overwhelming support: approval by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress followed by ratification from three-fourths of the states.
So far, the amendment has not received broad backing from Republican leadership or a major coalition of co-sponsors.
Mace defended the effort by arguing that individuals serving at the highest levels of government should hold sole allegiance to the United States.
“If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen,” Mace said. “For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, while making clear their loyalty is not here.”
Omar was also asked about separate legislation introduced by Rep. Randy Fine known as the “Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act.”
That proposal would prohibit anyone with dual citizenship from serving in Congress unless they formally renounce citizenship in any foreign country.
“Who’s that?” Omar reportedly replied when asked about Fine’s bill.
Fine argued the legislation is about ensuring lawmakers have undivided loyalty to the United States.
“I think it’s a fair argument to say you can only swear allegiance to one country, and if you’re in Congress, that allegiance should be to America,” Fine said.
Like Mace’s amendment, Fine’s proposal has shown little movement in Congress since being referred to the House Judiciary Committee last year.
The renewed debate comes as Republicans increasingly target Omar and other progressive Democrats over questions involving immigration, nationalism, and foreign policy ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
The post Ilhan Omar Shrugs Off GOP Proposal That Could Ban Foreign-Born Members Of Congress appeared first on Real News Now.
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