Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio announced plans on Dec. 1, 2025, to introduce legislation that would fundamentally reshape American citizenship law by ending dual citizenship. The proposal, titled the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, would require all U.S. citizens to pledge exclusive allegiance to America, effectively forcing millions of dual citizens to choose between their U.S. citizenship and any foreign citizenship they currently hold.
The legislation would have sweeping implications across the country, including for first lady Melania Trump, 55, and her son Barron Trump, 19, who both maintain dual citizenship with Slovenia alongside their U.S. citizenship. According to Mary Jordan’s book “The Art of Her Deal,” both have kept their Slovenian passports since obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Moreno, who was born in Colombia and became a U.S. citizen at age 18 after renouncing his Colombian citizenship, framed the proposal as a matter of national loyalty and security. He stated that dual citizenship creates conflicts of interest and divided loyalties that undermine the principle of exclusive American allegiance.
“One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so,” Moreno said. “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.”
The proposed law would require the Department of Homeland Security and State Department to establish comprehensive systems to track dual citizens throughout the country. Once identified, dual citizens would receive one year to make their choice: formally renounce their foreign citizenship or notify the Department of Homeland Security of their intent to give up U.S. citizenship.
For those who fail to comply within the one-year deadline, the consequences would be severe and automatic. The legislation stipulates that non-compliers would automatically lose their U.S. citizenship without any additional process or appeal. These individuals would then be treated as foreigners under immigration law and recorded as non-citizens in federal systems.
The timing of the proposal aligns with the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, representing another layer in efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement and redefine the boundaries of American citizenship. Current U.S. law permits citizens to hold multiple citizenships simultaneously without requiring them to choose exclusive allegiance to any single nation.
Melania Trump’s situation represents a unique case in American history. She naturalized as a U.S. citizen in July 2006 through an EB-1 visa, which is reserved for immigrants with extraordinary ability and sustained national and international acclaim. She is the only first lady to have become a naturalized U.S. citizen.
According to Jordan’s reporting, Melania Trump actively filed paperwork to secure Slovenian citizenship for Barron, as it was not automatically granted. “She did that to give him choices for his future,” Jordan told NPR in an interview promoting her book. “She is a mother who cares a lot about her son, and wanted to give him options.”
The dual citizenship provides practical benefits beyond symbolic connection to Slovenia. Jordan noted in interviews that Slovenian citizenship allows Barron to work freely throughout Europe much more easily than he could with only U.S. citizenship. The citizenship also simplifies potential property inheritance and provides broader mobility options across the European Union.
The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 would place the enforcement burden on two federal agencies working in coordination. The State Department would handle renunciations of foreign citizenship, while the Department of Homeland Security would manage notifications from those choosing to give up U.S. citizenship. Both agencies would need to develop new tracking systems and protocols to identify and monitor dual citizens nationwide.
Whether Moreno’s proposal will advance beyond introduction remains uncertain. Constitutional questions surrounding the legislation are significant, and legal scholars would likely challenge whether legislation can compel such a choice or automatically strip citizenship from those who fail to respond within the one-year window.