House Speaker Mike Johnson is weighing new legislation to take on birthright citizenship in a blatant appeal to conservatives demanding action after the Supreme Court rejected a Trump administration priority.
In a Fox News interview last week, Johnson said that foreign nationals traveling to the United States specifically to give birth so their child can obtain US citizenship is an issue lawmakers need to confront.
According to Politico, the potential vote, could be Johnson’s attempt to calm furious conservative hardliners demanding action to end birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled birthright citizenship constitutional.
Johnson argued that birthright citizenship ‘devalues’ the 14th Amendment and said Congress has a responsibility to address the issue.
‘Birth tourism’ refers to foreign nationals coming to the U.S. while pregnant to give birth on American soil so their child receives citizenship under the principle of birthright citizenship.
Johnson suggested possible responses could include new legislation and, if necessary, a constitutional amendment.
The floated legislation is near certainly dead on arrival.
Johnson acknowledged that changing current policy through ordinary legislation could face significant obstacles in the Senate and challenges in the courts.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Johnson spoke on the Supreme Court’s recent decision on birthright citizenship
Demonstrators hold letters making up the slogan “Born in the USA = citizen!” outside the U.S. Supreme Court building as the court hears oral arguments on the legality of the Trump administration’s effort to limit birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants, in Washington, DC
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press for the first time aboard the new Air Force One while in flight from RAF Mildenhall AFB to Joint Base Andrews July 8, 2026
Critics of that view argue the amendment has long been understood to grant citizenship to nearly everyone born in the United States, with narrow exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats.
The renewed debate follows a Supreme Court fight over birthright citizenship protections, after the Court rejected efforts by the Trump administration to limit citizenship for certain US-born children of noncitizens.
Johnson has framed the issue as a question of protecting the value of American citizenship, national security and the rule of law.
Supporters of his position say Congress should revisit the policy, while opponents argue that altering birthright citizenship would require a constitutional amendment rather than a simple change in federal law.
Johnson’s comments line up with arguments from President Donald Trump and other conservatives, who say the way the 14th Amendment is currently interpreted goes further than what they believe was originally intended.
They argue that it should not automatically grant citizenship to children born in the US to parents who are only temporary visitors or who entered the country illegally.
