Republican Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is introducing legislation that would make English the official language of the United States.
The measure, titled the English Language Unity Act, would essentially establish English as the official language of the country and task “Representatives of the Federal Government” with the obligation of what the legislation describes as preserving and enhancing the “role of English as the official language of the Federal Government.”
“Such obligation shall include encouraging greater opportunities for individuals to learn the English language,” the legislation, first obtained by the Daily Caller, reads. It also requires any “official” functions of the U.S. government to be conducted in English. More specifically, that rule would apply to “all laws, public proceedings, regulations, publications, orders, actions, programs, and policies.”
A multilingual “Vote here” sign is displayed in the voting room at Christ Lutheran Church in Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, California, on November 6, 2012. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
It also establishes a uniform language rule for naturalization, stating that “all citizens of the United States should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the laws of the United States made in pursuance of the Constitution of the United States.” Further, it would require English naturalization ceremonies.
Immigrants wait in line to become U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony on February 2, 2018, in New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Speaking to the Daily Caller before introducing the English Language Unity Act, Vance described the measure as a “commonsense” proposal that “recognizes an inherent truth.”
“English is the language of this country. That is why the overwhelming majority of the American people support this proposal. The English language has been a cornerstone of American culture for over 250 years,” he said, adding that it is “far past time for Congress to codify its place into law, which is exactly what this bill does.”
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Over the years there has been debate over making English the official language of the United States, which was highlighted again during the presidential election season in 2020 after Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a Democrat presidential candidate at the time, stated during a stop in Las Vegas that English should not be the official language of the United States.
“I think that when you look at a state like this state, and a country like ours that is so diverse, you don’t want to have that provision in law because then it would be very difficult to have, say, government documents and other things translated into other languages,” she said, making it clear that she took a “strong position against” an amendment to make English the official language.
Those remarks, however, stood in contrast to her voting record, as she voted for a pro-English bill in Congress.
Years ago, while former President Trump was running for president the first time in 2015, Trump criticized then-challenger Jeb Bush, asserting that he should be speaking English rather than Spanish after Bush said of Trump, “El hombre no es conservador.” (The man is not conservative.)
“I like Jeb,” Trump told Breitbart News at the time. “He’s a nice man. But he should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States.”