Senator Bernie Moreno of OH has proposed an “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025”– a bill that would require all current dual citizens to choose within one year which citizenship they want to hold. Those who fail to pick will be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished US citizenship.
Millions of Americans- both naturalized citizens and U.S.born citizens who acquired second passports through ancestry- would be impacted if such a bill passed. Dual citizenry spans all levels of American society- even First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron are dual citizens of Slovenia. Senator Moreno’s legislation attempts to redefine whether millions of dual citizens- including the First Lady and son- are “real” fully American citizens.
Predictably there is significant backlash to Moreno’s proposed bill:
Loving America is possible even if you love where your family came from.
Layered identities formed by families who built lives in the U.S. should be celebrated, not outlawed, particularly given America’s long history as a nation of immigrants.
Nationalism framed as patriotism redefines who counts as a “real American”- treating certain citizens as less legitimate based on origin, ancestry or legal pathway to citizenship.
Setting legal precedents for persecution against specific groups is troubling, since history shows how revoking citizenship has been used as a tool of persecution (e.g. the Jews in Germany who were stripped of rights and targeted).
Dual citizenship is not inherently disloyal to America, but simply practical for many- second passports facilitate care for elderly family members abroad, or enable participation in international business interests where a local passport may be required.
Employment of dual citizens in global businesses- such as aviation, shipping, manufacturing, or finance- helps companies operate seamlessly across borders, without legal or logistical delays.
Moreno’s proposed bill runs counter to the law and Constitution. The US Constitution’s 14th Amendment states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the Jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The State Department acknowledges that U.S. citizens can hold dual citizenship. Various Supreme Court precedents (Afroyim v. Rusk, Vance v. Terrazas) reinforce that Congress has no power to strip a person of U.S. citizenship without a person’s voluntary renunciation that is intentional and volitional. Additionally, voluntarily renouncing American citizenship is a complex, expensive, and irreversible process.
Moreno’s “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025” bill is less about loyalty to the United States or national security, than about policing identity- using the law to decide who qualifies as a “real American.” Ultimately citizenship in America should rest on constitutional rights- and not be turned into a dangerous political weapon.
