Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has brought forward legislation that would declare English the official language of America.
The bill is aimed at unifying, not dividing, he said, in a written statement.
"The United States' culturally diverse population is what makes our nation great, and what helps us move forward together as a society is the ability to communicate to one another," Inhofe said. "The [bill] ... will help set legal immigrants on a path to success as they integrate and work towards becoming citizens."
He also said "this legislation will strengthen the cords of unity that comes from sharing one vision and one official language."
The bill, if passed into law, would mandate the federal government use English for official business, including swearing-in ceremonies for citizen naturalization events.
Co-sponsors, all Republicans, include Sens. Jeff Sessions, John Boozman, David Vitter and David Perdue.
But the legislation has its detractors.
"I think [Inhofe] finally gave up on climate change and so now, maybe he needs another issue," said Giovanni Perry, an immigration lawyer, remarking to KFOR News Channel 4 about Inhofe's previous penchant for speaking critically about the science used to push climate relate regulations. "I think [this bill] is useless. I think it is really unnecessary. English is already the language of the court and our government."