Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) is calling on Congress to pass his citizenship reform legislation amid recent reports claiming that birthright citizenship costs taxpayers over $150 billion annually.
“Illegal aliens and their children are costing American taxpayers $150.7 BILLION every year!!” Congressman Steube wrote on X. “American taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll this broken system.”
“Pass my Birthright CLAIM Act. Stop rewarding illegal entry with automatic citizenship!” Rep. Steube added.
Birthright Citizenship Reportedly Costs $150.7 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars
According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), birthright citizenship of children of foreign nationals is costing federal, state, and local taxpayers $150.7 billion annually.
Half of those funds cover children’s education, while the rest covers healthcare and nutritional assistance.
Analysts Blame Constitutional Interpretations
Policy analysts attribute the cost to the constitutional interpretations of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, arguing that it has paved the way for the system’s exploitation through practices like “birth tourism.”
“Misinterpretation has led to a number of unfortunate and really harmful unintended consequences, with birth tourism being sort of one of those unintended consequences of a misreading of the Constitution,” Mateo Forero, director of investigations at Fair, said during an interview.
Birthright CLAIM Act
In July 2026, Congressman Steube introduced the Birthright Citizenship Limits for Aliens and Illegal Migrants (CLAIM) Act after the U.S. Supreme Court shut down President Donald Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship.
The bill aims to deny birthright citizenship to children of undocumented foreign nationals born in the U.S. It also rejects citizenship if at least one of the parents is in the U.S. illegally or is maintaining a visa or permanent residency.
Trump Administration's Birth Tourism Crack Down
The Trump administration has also taken steps to crack down on birth tourism following the Supreme Court’s rejection.
In Aug. 2026, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and State to develop a joint effort “half the practice of birth tourism.”
The directive also identifies “certain categories of children of aliens who are not entitled to birthright citizenship” that are “consistent with historical exceptions to birthright citizenship recognized” in the Supreme Court’s ruling.
