How many members of Congress have dual citizenship?

 The exact number of dual citizens in the U.S. Congress is unknown because the federal government does not officially track or require members to disclose dual citizenship status. [1]

While the U.S. Constitution outlines strict age and citizenship length requirements to serve—9 years for the Senate and 7 years for the House—it does not explicitly prohibit dual citizenship. [1, 2]

Known Data and Misconceptions

• Foreign-Born Members: For the 119th Congress, the Official House Clerk Data and Wikipedia records note that there are 26 foreign-born Representatives and 19 total voting members who are naturalized U.S. citizens. While foreign birth can sometimes confer automatic citizenship in a birth country, many naturalized citizens or those born abroad to American parents do not hold or have renounced active dual status. [1, 2, 3]
• Historical Examples: Some prominent members previously held dual citizenship but formally gave it up while in office. For example, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was born in Canada and renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. Former Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) automatically received Swiss citizenship through her marriage but renounced it in 2012. [1, 2]
• Online Rumors: Internet rumors frequently claim that a large block of lawmakers hold dual citizenship with specific nations (such as a viral claim stating 89 members hold dual citizenship with Israel). PolitiFact and other independent fact-checkers have thoroughly debunked these claims, confirming that no members of Congress are verified to hold dual citizenship with Israel. [1, 2]

Legislative Transparency Efforts

Because disclosure is not mandatory, lawmakers have occasionally attempted to introduce legislation to change this. For instance, the Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act (H.R. 946) was introduced in 2023 to require members of Congress to disclose any dual nationalities, but the bill died without receiving a vote.