Have any U.S. senators renounced foreign citizenship while in office, and why?
Executive summary
No modern U.S. senator is recorded in the provided sources as having renounced a foreign citizenship while serving in office; the recent news cycle instead centers on Sen. Bernie Moreno’s new bill to ban dual citizenship and force renunciations by others, which he says reflects his own past renunciation of Colombian citizenship when he naturalized (Moreno’s office and coverage) [1] [2]. Reporting notes legal obstacles: Supreme Court precedent and longstanding State Department practice protect many dual citizens from involuntary loss of U.S. citizenship, and experts warn the bill would face constitutional and practical challenges [3] [4].
1. What the record in these sources shows: no sitting senator publicly renounced foreign citizenship while in office
The documents supplied discuss Senator Bernie Moreno’s Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 and repeatedly note Moreno renounced Colombian citizenship upon naturalization at age 18 — a personal history he and his office cite in justifying the bill — but none of the sources report a U.S. senator giving up a foreign citizenship while serving in the Senate [1] [2] [5].
2. Moreno’s bill is the news, not a senator’s in-office renunciation
Every outlet in the packet covers Moreno introducing legislation to bar dual citizenship, require current dual citizens to renounce a foreign nationality within one year or be deemed to have relinquished U.S. citizenship, and direct federal agencies to build tracking systems — that framing dominates the coverage rather than any concrete example of a senator renouncing while holding office [3] [6] [7].
3. Moreno’s own renunciation happened before he served; outlets treat it as background, not precedent
Multiple reports and Moreno’s press release reference his childhood immigration and renunciation of Colombian citizenship when he naturalized at 18, and he uses that personal narrative to argue for “sole and exclusive allegiance.” Those accounts present his renunciation as a pre‑office act informing his policy stance rather than as an example of a sitting senator changing status on the job [1] [2] [5].
4. Legal and constitutional context reported: significant barriers to forced loss of citizenship
Coverage cites Supreme Court rulings — notably Afroyim v. Rusk — and State Department practice that make involuntary divestment of U.S. citizenship legally fraught; analysts in these reports say a law that automatically strips U.S. citizenship from dual nationals would face litigation and likely constitutional challenges [3] [4]. Newsweek and The Hill explicitly highlight that precedent limits the federal government’s power to force loss of citizenship [4] [3].
5. Practical problems and enforcement questions media raise
News stories emphasize logistical hurdles: creating a database of dual citizens, verifying foreign citizenships, and the mechanics and costs of forced renunciations — including whether the existing renunciation fee would apply — all issues flagged by reporters and legal experts in the packet [8] [7] [6].
6. Political motive and framing: loyalty, immigration, and targeting high‑profile figures
Reports note Moreno frames the bill around “exclusive allegiance” and conflict-of-interest concerns; outlets also point out political optics — the proposal would implicate public figures such as Melania and Barron Trump — and critics characterize the effort as part of a broader right‑wing push to tighten rules around immigrants and citizenship [9] [10] [7].
7. Competing viewpoints in the sources: proponents vs. constitutional and practical skeptics
Moreno and his office present the law as restoring undivided allegiance and preventing conflicts of interest [1]. Media and legal commentators counter that the proposal defies legal precedent, would be administratively onerous, and could render many people unable to comply even if they wished to renounce a foreign nationality [4] [7] [3].
8. What the available reporting does not say
Available sources do not mention any named U.S. senator explicitly renouncing a foreign citizenship while serving in office; they also do not provide a legal text that has survived constitutional challenge making involuntary loss of U.S. citizenship lawful [3] [4]. If you seek historical examples or a comprehensive list of senators’ citizenship histories, not found in current reporting — further archival or legal research beyond these articles would be required.
Limitations: this analysis uses only the supplied articles. For definitive historical confirmation about any senator ever renouncing foreign citizenship during a Senate term, consult primary Senate records or specialized legal-historical scholarship not included here.