Friday Morning Politics: Rep. Grace Meng

**Brian Lehrer** (0:10)
This is The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good Friday morning, everyone. So one of the biggest Supreme Court rulings of this term, as you no doubt know, was last week, the one that upheld birthright citizenship, the constitutional provision that anyone born in the United States is automatically a US citizen. But Congresswoman from Queens, Grace Meng, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will join us in a minute, says Democrats need a strategy to fight the administration's desire to try to sink it again. President Trump's reaction to the Supreme Court ruling was to urge Congress to in fact pass legislation that would somehow get around that Supreme Court ruling. House Speaker Mike Johnson basically said, sure Mr. President, we'll give that a try.
It's a threat to the rule of law and national security. We do need to address it, we're looking at all angles.

**Grace Meng** (1:03)
If there's some legislative fix, we'll advance that immediately.

**Alisa** (1:06)
If it's a constitutional amendment, as you know, it takes a little more time.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:09)
Speaker Mike Johnson this week on Fox News Sunday. We'll discuss that now with Congresswoman Meng, as well as some other things, including the state of the Democratic Party going into the midterms this fall. She's one of those New York City Democrats who fended off a challenge from her left. We'll also, by the way, get a DSA take on the state of the party later in the show.
Grace Meng represents New York's 6th Congressional District, which includes all or parts of Auburndale, Bayside, Elmhurst, and East Elmhurst, Flushing Forest Hills, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Murray Hill, Woodside, and Regal Park. Maybe I'm even leaving something out. All of those neighborhoods in Queens. Congresswoman Meng, congratulations on your renomination, first of all, and welcome back to WNYC.

**Grace Meng** (1:54)
Thanks, Brian. It's so great to be back and kudos to you knowing all those neighborhoods.

**Brian Lehrer** (2:00)
I come from just outside your district. Let's start with Birthright Citizenship. It's not secure now, despite last week's Supreme Court ruling with five justices declaring it a constitutional right?

**Grace Meng** (2:13)
Well, I would say we can be happy and content, but we don't want to prolong the celebration for too long. I was literally outside of the Capitol with colleagues from the Black and Hispanic caucus when we got the news of the decision.
As you mentioned, we are already seeing how President Trump and Republicans are trying to change the Supreme Court decision. This is about birthright citizenship. This is about a constitutional right. I myself am a birthright citizen, and we have already heard President Trump wants Mike Johnson to do something about it, and is even trying to get the Supreme Court to hear it again.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:02)
Well, here's one way that they might try to end birthright citizenship, at least for some people. It would be a bill to outlaw what they call birth tourism.
I'm gonna read from a political article from Wednesday. It says, Speaker Mike Johnson is exploring whether to put legislation on the House floor that would end the ability of pregnant women to enter the United States legally to gain citizenship for their children. Congressman, it sounds like that would target pregnant women who were coming into the country for the purpose of giving birth here, whether or not they were intending to stay at that time or coming for other reasons. Have you heard of your colleagues on the other side of the aisle preparing any kind of bill specifically like that?

**Grace Meng** (3:45)
I haven't heard about anything specific yet, but I wouldn't put it past them.
That's just yet another example of the House Republicans and President Trump targeting women again. And so we will keep an eye out. But this again, they are often over blowing out of proportion of what they think and perceive of as problems.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:13)
On the merits, they would argue that that's not what the Birthright Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment was for. They argue even if the court ruled that it applies to immigrants and not just formerly slave Black Americans, it was never intended for people gaming the system in that way, coming just to give birth for the advantages that might confer. How would you respond to that argument?

**Grace Meng** (4:36)
I find it really funny and contradicting that Justice Thomas, who always loves to talk about a colorblind constitution, is all of a sudden focused on what he believes was the intent and origin of something like this. And so, no, I don't agree.

**Brian Lehrer** (5:00)
Why would it be for people who just want to come here for the express purpose of their children being born citizens?