Millions of Americans may be forced to give up one of their citizenship passports if a new law is passed based on a legal filing pending in the U.S. Senate.
Dual Citizenships In Focus
On December 1, 2025, Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) filed the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, a piece of legislation requiring U.S. citizens to have “sole and exclusive allegiance” to America only, thus eliminating dual citizenships (both U.S. and foreign).
Dual citizenship is often held by Americans. Americans who currently hold multiple nationalities would need to make a decision to choose between their U.S. citizenship and their foreign citizenship if the law goes into full effect.
It appears Moreno wants the law to force Americans to establish and maintain allegiance only to the United States.
“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. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good,” Senator Moreno said, announcing the filing of the bill.
“Dual citizenship is not a threat; it’s an asset that reflects the reality of an interconnected world where Americans live, work, serve, and advocate for U.S. interests on a global scale,” said Martha McDevitt-Pugh, Chair of Democrats Abroad. “Questioning loyalty because a citizen possesses another passport is not just wrong; it’s an attack on the millions of Americans whose lives span borders and who contribute every day to the strength of the United States,” McDevitt-Pugh pointed out.
If the law goes into action, current dual citizens will have a year to decide, according to news media reports. It’ll be necessary for those choosing to maintain their U.S. citizenship to formally renounce their foreign nationality. People would automatically lose their U.S. status if they decided to keep a foreign citizenship. Future nationality cases would also be covered by the law requiring Americans to give up their U.S. citizenship if they obtained another nationality after becoming citizens of the United States.
News of Moreno’s proposed law to outlaw people’s dual passports triggered widespread backlash. Some internet and social media users call the law crazy and not well planned. Jonathan Henkel wrote a scathing response on Facebook. “The reality is that with border control, this is a way to have options for many people to move around the world in an organized, legal way.” Another Facebook user wrote, ‘Don’t Take My Passport!’
Critics argue it violates the 14th Amendment and that the Supreme Court has already protected citizenship and prevented its voluntary revocation, making Moreno’s proposed law legally unsound. The Supreme Court settled a dual citizenship matter in 1952 in Kawakita v. United States, stating that “the concept of dual citizenship recognizes that a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both.”
The Supreme Court also ruled positively in other cases related to dual citizenship. In Afroyim v. Rusk and Vance v Terrazas, the Court made clear that the only way someone can lose U.S. citizenship is if they voluntarily choose to relinquish it. Congress cannot overrule the Constitution by statute, and this bill would collapse immediately under judicial review.
Americans are permitted legally at this point to hold citizenship in another country, including the United States. As work opportunities overseas continually expand and immigration has increased globally in recent years. Dual citizenship is a special privilege.
Migrants holding dual citizenships would be adversely affected as well. Without accurate statistics, passport officials estimate there are millions of Americans holding citizenship in more than one nation. Many obtained citizenship in another country because either they were born overseas, have at least one parent who was born in a foreign country, or were naturalized after growing into adulthood in another country.
Americans who are dual citizens already abide by certain travel and legal restrictions if they hold citizenship elsewhere.
For example, dual citizens are required to use a U.S. passport when entering and exiting the United States and may need to travel on their other passport when leaving the country. They may also be subject to legal responsibilities in both countries, such as mandatory tax filing or even compulsory military service.
Despite potential drawbacks, dual citizenship has been federally permitted for decades.
Senator Moreno said the Exclusive Citizenship Act would change that.
The bill would allow federal agencies 180 days to begin certifying compliance from the time of enactment. After that point, federal agencies would have to “identify all persons who hold multiple citizenships and advise them that they are required to terminate their citizenship under this Act.” The individuals would then be given a period of time to renounce their other citizenship.
The bill does not affect current law. As stated, if passed, however, it would affect millions of Americans who work abroad or regularly travel internationally—and international travelers who use dual citizenship to their advantage when visiting the U.S. and abroad for extended periods of time.
Citizenship status represents the birth of nations, not a selective policy.
Pros and Cons
To be fair and objective, Senator Moreno’s latest brainchild, the “Exclusive Citizenship Act,” aimed at eliminating dual citizenship, would, if enacted in its writing of the potential new law, carry serious consequences. These consequences could include onerous exit taxes on citizens who lose their U.S. citizenship, transfer taxes on U.S. individuals who receive gifts or bequests from certain expatriates, and the possible forfeiture of social security benefits.
The Citizenship Act may create diplomatic tensions and citizenship problems for members of the Native American community and those who had a foreign citizenship restored after the Nazi rule in Germany.
Military Nightmare
Citizenship status is a basis of law, not a freestanding policy.
Another group of Americans likely to suffer financially if Senator Moreno’s bill becomes law are US military retirees who happen to also hold dual citizenship. Dual citizenship is allowed by the Department of Defense.
Just because civilian government and military retirement are grouped together does not mean they are the same. Military retired pay, for instance, has always been considered a different platform than civilian retirement.
According to Department of Defense policy, retired military employees can still serve overseas if called for service at any given moment because they are still subject to parts of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and they are still considered members of the military.
With that in mind, retired pay is considered something other than deferred compensation. It is considered compensation for being at a lower rate of pay and being ready to serve if needed.
Point being, since there is no exceptional provision for military retirees in Senator Moreno’s version of the Exclusive Citizenship Act, it only proves how miserably Moreno’s bill failed to make dual citizenship for those either serving abroad in the military or for retirees who could be immediately activated.
Final Conclusion
Taken together, the Exclusive Citizenship Act must be eliminated or rewritten to include fairness to ensure no one is denied having passports allowing dual citizenships when it’s necessary; they need both.
Clarence Walker is a Senior NewsBlaze Reporter and the editor for HoustonNewsToday.com
He can be reached at houstonnewstoday@yahoo.com
