'Who's that': Ilhan Omar shrugs off GOP bid to ban foreign-born lawmakers from Congress

'If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen', Nancy Mace stated
Rep Ilhan Omar said she does not expect the newly proposed naturalized citizenship restrictions to advance past initial committee referrals (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Rep Ilhan Omar said she does not expect the newly proposed naturalized citizenship restrictions to advance past initial committee referrals (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) remained completely unbothered when confronted with a newly introduced House Republican resolution aimed at barring all foreign-born citizens from serving in the United States Congress.

When pressed for her perspective on the aggressive legislative challenge, Omar issued a highly dismissive, four-word response to Fox News Digital: “Good luck to her.”

The friction erupted after Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a joint resolution proposing a sweeping constitutional amendment.

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) speaks at a press conference after a field hearing at the Minnesota Senate Building on January 16, 2026 in St Paul, Minnesota. Democrats attend the field hearing titled Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump's Deadly Assault on Minnesota, where local citizens and politicians speak about Immigration Operation
Data archives reveal the sweeping administrative footprint of the proposed amendment, which would invalidate active certificates of election for dozens of lawmakers (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

The measure seeks to institute a strict natural-born citizen standard for all members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed executive officers, directly mirroring the eligibility restrictions currently placed on the president and vice president.

Mace explicitly utilized social media platform X to name Omar, Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash), and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich) as her primary targets, directly questioning their patriotism.

"All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth," Mace posted. "All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America."



Steep constitutional hurdles stall resolution passage

The legislative broadside has instantly converted long-standing immigration debates into a direct identity clash on Capitol Hill.

There are currently 26 individuals serving as members of Congress who are not natural-born citizens, a bipartisan cohort comprising 19 Democrats and seven Republicans.

Omar emphasized she is entirely unconcerned about the measure gaining the political traction required to advance through the legislature.

(Getty Images)
Legislative flowcharts outline the rigorous national ratification framework required to alter baseline qualification requirements for federal candidates (Getty Images)

Amending the United States Constitution remains an extraordinarily difficult procedural feat. The resolution requires an initial two-thirds supermajority approval in both the House and the Senate, followed by additional ratification from three-fourths of all individual US states.

The proposal has yet to secure any widespread public backing from top House GOP leadership, nor has it attracted a significant bloc of Republican co-sponsors to establish momentum.

Republicans renew debate over dual loyalty in government

"If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen," Mace countered in an official statement, insisting that foreign-born officials undermine the sovereign integrity of domestic lawmaking.



The escalating rhetoric has also drawn renewed attention to the 'Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act', separate legislation introduced by Representative Randy Fine (R-Fla).

Fine’s bill would ban any individual holding dual citizenship from legislative service, forcing candidates to formally renounce foreign nationalities to preserve congressional eligibility.

When asked about Fine’s stalled mandate, Omar again brushed off the initiative, asking, “Who’s that?” Fine defended the measure as a common-sense safeguard to guarantee that lawmakers are fully committed to America, rather than being divided between two nations.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump has options on Iran as top aides secretly met at Camp David over the war and Yemen
52 minutes ago
Washington said two UN delegates remained in New York despite an order to leave, prompting the State Department to demand their departure again
2 hours ago
Democratic strategist James Carville zeroed in on Rep Eugene Vindman's Virginia race ahead of the 2026 midterms
2 hours ago
The Sunshine Protection Act would keep most Americans on daylight saving time year-round instead of moving clocks forward and back each year
3 hours ago
In a 31-page ruling Judge David Leibowitz dismissed charges against a Jamaican-born woman who voted in 2020
4 hours ago
A behind-the-scenes Oval Office meeting preceded a $20 million DHS media contract now funding television spots featuring Trump
4 hours ago
A White House official attacked Thom Tillis after private messages surfaced, just days before his memoir criticized President Trump
6 hours ago
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave a new scorecard of Trump's Iran campaign, detailing the latest phase of the economic pressure effort
6 hours ago
Trump is unlocking a Medicare fund created in 2008 for the first time, directing $90 payments to more than 20 million Part B enrollees
8 hours ago
President Trump issued the warning in Truth Social videos while promoting his proposed $5,000 checks if Republicans won Congress
8 hours ago