Press Release

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, along with Rep. David Cicilline and Rep. Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today led all Democratic members of the Foreign Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, in a letter calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to reverse State Department policy denying citizenship to some children born to same-sex couples abroad.

"I am deeply concerned by recent efforts by the State Department to deny citizenship to some children born to same-sex couples abroad," Say Rep. Bera. "The Supreme Court rightfully ruled in favor of marriage equality in 2015. Last year, the State Department changed its internal procedures to make it harder for the children of married same-sex couples to be born American citizens. This decision was made without consulting the public or Congress, and the result is American citizens have been harmed"

"The State Department is ignoring the law," Says Rep. Bera. "The constitution and the Supreme Court unequivocally guarantee the right to citizenship for these children. I urge Secretary Pompeo to apply the department's policy equally and in accordance with the law and our American values."

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which bars discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in a wide variety of settings, including housing and the workplace.

A full text of the letter can be found here.