On Monday, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced new legislation that would require U.S. citizens who also hold a second nationality to choose between the United States and the other country, according to a report from Fox News.
Moreno, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Colombia, said the measure is aimed at eliminating what he describes as conflicts of interest created by dual citizenship.
“One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so.”
“It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and only to the United States of America. Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege — and if you want to be an American — it’s all or nothing,” he said. “It’s time to end dual citizenship for good.”
The proposal, titled the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, would amend federal immigration and nationality law to require Americans with dual citizenship to make an affirmative choice. Under the bill’s framework, current dual citizens would have one year after enactment to either (1) submit written notice to the secretary of state to renounce their foreign citizenship, or (2) notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they intend to give up U.S. citizenship. People who do not act within the year would be considered to have relinquished U.S. citizenship, according to the bill text as described in the report.
The plan would also apply prospectively: Americans who seek to acquire a foreign citizenship in the future would, under the proposal, effectively forfeit U.S. citizenship.
To implement the policy, the legislation would direct the State Department and DHS to create databases and enforcement rules to track dual citizenship and record cases where a person is treated as having lost U.S. citizenship. Those who lose U.S. citizenship—whether “voluntarily or involuntarily,” as described—would be recorded in federal systems and treated as non-citizens for immigration purposes.
Current policy and likely legal hurdles
Under current U.S. policy, Americans generally may hold dual nationality, and the State Department notes that a U.S. citizen may naturalize elsewhere “without any risk” to U.S. citizenship, though dual nationals can face conflicting obligations under different countries’ laws.
Moreno’s proposal could face significant court challenges. The Supreme Court has held that the government cannot strip a person of U.S. citizenship without voluntary relinquishment.
Broader political context
Moreno’s bill fits into a wider push among congressional Republicans to tighten rules around citizenship, national allegiance, and eligibility for public office—an effort that has included proposals focused on disclosure requirements for candidates who hold foreign citizenship and other citizenship-related reforms.
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