The House passed a GOP-backed bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” sparking partisan debate over symbolism, priorities, and U.S. influence in the region.
The Republican-controlled House passed a bill Thursday to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” with a 211–206 vote largely along party lines. The bill, which mandates federal agencies to update maps and documents, echoes an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
Though the name change applies only within U.S. jurisdictions, House Republicans defended the move as a reflection of American influence in the region. “This legislation recognizes the strategic influence America has over this geography,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
Democrats dismissed the measure as a political distraction. “It’s easy to mock this legislation because it’s so inane and embarrassing — and we have,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.
House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain said, “The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the Gulf of America. It’s only right that it’s named appropriately.”
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called the renaming effort “one of the most important things we can do this Congress.”