Who Is Bernie Moreno?

My VIP for this week is Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) who understands the value of American citizenship. He has focused on immigration since becoming a U.S. senator in January 2025. Last week he introduced a bill to outlaw dual citizenship in the United States.

As Rebecca Downs reported at The Daily Signal, The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 “would require those who are citizens of the United States and a foreign country to choose a single citizenship rather than remain dual citizens.” The bill would make it impossible to be a U.S. citizen or national while at the same time “possessing any foreign citizenship.” 

It is currently possible for Americans to hold foreign citizenship, which could cause loyalty problems. A press release from Moreno’s office suggested that dual citizenship ‘could create conflicts of interest.”

Moreno’s bill outlines the process to renounce dual citizenship and allows “one year to submit to the Secretary of State their written renunciation of their foreign citizenship or to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of their United States citizenship.” In addition, any U.S. citizen who voluntarily becomes a citizen of a foreign nation “shall be deemed to have relinquished United States citizenship,” according to the bill.

Moreno was born in Colombia, legally immigrated to the United States with his family when he was five years old, and became a naturalized American citizen at age 18.

“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 told Fox News Digital. “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 bill’s text claims dual citizenship could lead to “divided loyalties,” and that “it is in the national interest of the United States to ensure that United States citizenship is held exclusively.” …

The Ohio senator appeared on Wednesday’s edition of “The Ingraham Angle” to discuss legal and illegal immigration. “You have to make certain that there’s some conditions to come here,” Moreno explained. This includes “learning the language,” which, the senator said, “unites us.”

“You have to understand that you coming here is a privilege and it’s an honor. You don’t have a right to come to America. It’s an honor and a privilege,” Moreno emphasized.