House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will reportedly try to get his fractious caucus to agree on a controversial bill that would ban what he calls “birth tourism” when they return from a long legislative break.
According to a report from Politico, Johnson is now exploring legislation that would rebuff pregnant women accused of entering the United States to legally gain citizenship for their children, thereby bypassing a recent Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed birthright citizenship.
The timing reveals desperation by the House leadership after Johnson reportedly betrayed the far right wing of his caucus and now wants to make amends, according to the report.
According to Politico, "The speaker promised hard-liners last month that he would hold a vote before July 4 on legislation that would codify President Donald Trump’s border security priorities — in exchange for their support on a more narrow bill funding federal immigration enforcement activities."
That never happened and, as Politico is reporting, "Those members now say Johnson has gone back on his word and, in revolt, they ground legislative business to a halt, forcing GOP leaders to send the House home early for the holiday recess."
"House passage of a measure to crack down the practice would be largely symbolic, as it stands no chance of overcoming the Senate filibuster," according to Politico's reporting.
The report notes that several GOP centrists are open to the "birth tourism" bill, according to people with knowledge of the talks. But the caucus remains deeply divided over immigration broadly, forcing Johnson to navigate competing factions with no clear path forward.
