The House passed a bill on May 8 to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and thereby codify into law a presidential action signed by President Donald Trump that changed the name of that body of water.
The Gulf of America Act passed, 211–206. All Democrats and one Republican voted against it.
It now heads to the Senate, where it is unlikely to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold that applies to most legislation.
Federal documents and maps would need to be updated with this change within 180 days of the bill’s enactment.
Democrats criticized the bill.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called it “silly, small-minded, and sycophantic.”
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) called the measure “infantile” and compared the effort to passing it something out of the iconic comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”
“Costs are going up, small businesses are going under. American families are worried they won’t be able to keep the lights on, keep food on the table, and keep the roof [over] their heads. They’re happy about, of course, Gulf of America. That'll do it,” Hoyer said mockingly.
He also said that voting on the bill is “a sick joke” and a “distraction.”
Republicans defended the legislation.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said that her measure is opposed by Democrats because they defend the Mexican cartels.
“It’s the cartels that use the Gulf of America to invade our country with drugs, human trafficking, and child sex trafficking,” she said.
“It’s our great Coast Guard and our Navy that defend the land, our people’s land, our states, our businesses, and our country from the cartels.”
Greene also said that “the American people want to take pride in our land and our waters once again.”
Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America on Jan. 20, the day he was sworn into office.
“Its natural resources and wildlife remain central to America’s economy today,” it states.
This includes having an abundance of oil and fisheries.
“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” the presidential action states.
“He says that he will call it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“For us, it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico.”
