Washington, D.C. – A new Mother Jones investigation, based on research from Accountable.US, uncovers a sweeping and well-coordinated effort by right-wing organizations to call an Article V constitutional convention—a never-before-used mechanism that could pave the way to end birthright citizenship and reshape America’s foundational laws.

Led by Convention of States Action, a dark money–fueled group backed by Trump-aligned billionaires and key MAGA figures, the movement seeks to achieve what legal and legislative efforts have failed to do: dismantle core constitutional protections, like the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil.

“Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Constitution,” said Stuart Richardson, research manager at Accountable.US. “We’re reaching a point where they’re becoming not unconstitutional, but anti-constitutional. They have to go so far as to amend the Constitution or completely throw it out and rework it because they can’t achieve their agenda based on even a layman reading of the Constitution.”

The report reveals the lengths to which these groups are willing to go to advance their agenda:

  • While the organization’s model legislation for invoking an Article V convention calls for limiting federal power and imposing fiscal restraints, the intentionally ambiguous language leaves the door open for sweeping changes, including ending birthright citizenship.
  • With 19 states already passing Article V resolutions and 11 more actively considering similar measures, the movement is edging closer to the 34-state threshold needed to trigger a convention.
  • Billionaire Tim Dunn, a key Trump donor and evangelical activist, is among the high-profile financiers bankrolling Convention of States Action.

“What are they trying to get out of this?” says Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US. “It’s imposing their agenda on the rest of America. That looks like taking away our rights.” For the billionaire class funding organizations like Convention of States Action, he adds, “there’s a short-term and long-term play. They have a friendly Congress and a friendly administration, but they’re also thinking about what 10 or 20 years look like down the road.”

The implications of an Article V convention go far beyond birthright citizenship. Experts warn of a “runaway convention,” where the scope of proposed amendments could spiral beyond the original intent, potentially dismantling long-standing rights and protections enshrined in the Constitution. 

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