Texas Republicans in Congress propose bills to codify Trump executive orders

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WASHINGTON – Hours after President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, he signed a series of executive orders intended to limit immigration and keep other top campaign promises.

Texas Republicans in Congress are attempting to codify many of those orders into law.

Executive orders are often easy to reverse once a new administration takes power. On Inauguration Day, Trump rescinded 78 of former President Joe Biden’s executive orders.

But laws passed by Congress are more difficult to overturn.

While many of these bills promoted by Texans have not yet garnered significant support on Capitol Hill, their accompanying executive orders have been widely praised by fellow Republicans.

Birthright Citizenship

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, reintroduced legislation Tuesday to end the current system of birthright citizenship. He acted the day after Trump’s executive order on the same issue.

Under current law, children born inside the United States are automatically citizens.

Babin’s bill, if passed, would grant automatic citizenship only to children born inside the country with at least one parent who is a citizen, national, permanent resident or an immigrant in the United States legally serving in the armed forces. This means the children of tourists, temporary residents and people illegally within the country would not receive citizenship even if born in the United States

Trump’s executive order, which was set to go into effect on Feb. 19, would similarly end the blanket process of U.S. citizenship. The executive order is set to end automatic citizenship for a child of a mother illegally or legally on temporary status inside the United States without a father who is a citizen or permanent resident.

Babin and Trump’s argument for changing birthright citizenship is that they say the 14th amendment – which grants citizenship to all born or naturalized within the country and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” — has been misinterpreted. The men, along with other hardline Republicans, have said that people without permanent residency or citizenship are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore their children should not be given citizenship.

“This is the time, ladies and gentlemen, to pass this legislation which has been plaguing our country for well over 100 years,” Babin said during a Thursday news conference.

Trump’s executive order has already received legal challenges including lawsuits from 22 state attorneys general and the American Civil Liberties Union who argue that it violates the Constitution. A federal judge has placed a 14-day restraining order on Trump’s policy.

Babin said he welcomes legal disputes because they could send the issue to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.

“Let’s see how they rule on this,” Babin said about the Supreme Court.

Eleven Texas Republicans in the House have cosponsored the bill along with 30 other Republicans.

Remain in Mexico 

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park, introduced legislation on Jan. 16 to make the “Remain in Mexico” policy of Trump’s first term permanent, days before Trump issued an executive order restoring the policy.

Roger’s bill would mandate asylum seekers to return to their country of origin as they wait for their court date – a switch from the process of waiting inside the United States.

During Trump’s first administration, nearly 70,000 asylum seekers were sent to Mexico due to the “Migrant Protection Protocols,” more commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico,” policy. Immigrant advocate groups said this policy left many asylum seekers at risk while waiting for their immigration proceedings while backers of the policy say it improves security in the United States.

“My bill lays the groundwork to restore law and order and secure our nation by federally mandating that those awaiting a court date do so from their country of origin,” Williams said in a Jan. 16 release. “We are a land of laws, it’s time we act like it and put the safety of Americans first.”

Williams’ bill has 33 co-sponsors, including one Democrat.

World Health Organization 

One of President Trump’s executive orders was to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, want future presidents to not have the option to rejoin.

Trump initially withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization in July 2020, which Biden reversed on his first day in office.

The president’s issues with the World Health Organization stem from the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the amount that the United States contributes every year – which Trump’s executive order called “unfairly onerous.”

If passed, the “WHO is Accountable Act” that Arrington proposed on Wednesday would prohibit federal funds from being used to seek membership in the World Health Organization or for contributions to the organization unless a series of changes were made.

These include ensuring the organization does not fund or message about abortion, gender affirming care and climate change. Arrington’s bill would also require WHO to not be influenced by the Chinese Communist Party, to not send humanitarian aid to certain countries (Iran, Syria and North Korea), to implement changes to ensure that humanitarian assistance is not politicized and to increase transparency.

Roy reintroduced a simpler version of Arrington’s bill that would prohibit contributions to the organization, without any provisions if changes are made to the organization.

Roy called the World Health Organization a “joke of an organization,” in a Tuesday news release commending Trump’s executive order.

Roy’s bill has 14 cosponsors while Arrington’s bill has four.

Other Support 

Texans in Congress are also introducing legislation to bolster key policy promises from the new Trump administration outside of the executive orders.

Cruz on Jan. 16 reintroduced a bill to provide back pay and restore the rank of service members fired or demoted for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Trump promised during his inauguration speech that he would use his authority to do this during his first week in office, and is set to sign an executive order Monday.

Roy has pushed to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, also known as the FACE Act — which prohibits the use or threat of force toward someone seeking or obtaining reproductive health services and prohibits damaging facilities that provide these services. The Roy bill aligns with Trump’s recent pardons of pro-life protesters charged with blocking access to an abortion clinic and the administration’s directive to federal agencies to limit enforcement of the FACE Act.

Roy called the pardons a “HUGE WIN for life and the rule of law,” in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Cruz and Arrington also jointly introduced a bill before Trump’s inauguration to reverse Biden’s executive orders restricting offshore oil and gas drilling. Trump reversed those Biden orders on his first day in office.