Political Quotes

“I rise today to applaud my colleagues for passing H.R. 4803, Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act, without amendment by unanimous consent. Last year, Senator Johnny Isakson joined me in introducing the bipartisan Senate companion to H.R. 4803 to make sure that when children of U.S. citizens serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or working for the U.S. Government are born abroad because their parents are serving our Nation overseas, they automatically acquire U.S. citizenship. The unanimous passage of the Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate sends a strong message that children born to American parents serving our country abroad are just as worthy of automatic citizenship as any other child in this country. This principle should not be controversial. That is why for the past 15 years, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services considered children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Federal Government employees stationed outside the United States to be deemed as ``residing in the United States'' for the purpose of automatically acquiring citizenship. This policy was pragmatic and cut burdensome redtape for American parents willing to serve our Nation abroad as U.S. servicemembers or civil servants. It provided flexibility and allowed U.S. citizen parents to meet residency requirements for acquisition of citizenship while serving overseas.…”