The Republican-led House of Representatives voted Thursday to permanently codify President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” NBC News reports that the bill, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, passed along party lines with a 211 to 206 vote. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska was the only Republican to break ranks and vote against the measure.
The legislation would make the name change permanent in all federal documents, maps, and records, instructing federal agencies to update all materials within six months of enactment. Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed the bill, stating that House Republicans have been “working around the clock to codify so much of what President Trump has been doing” to ensure his policies “can’t be reversed and erased by an upcoming administration.”
The bill now faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Republican Leader John Thune has not committed to bringing it to the floor for a vote.
America First Policy Takes Literal Turn
“Codifying the rightful renaming of the Gulf of America isn’t just a priority for me and President Trump; it’s a priority for the American people. American taxpayers fund its protection, our military defends its waters, and American businesses fuel its economy,” Greene argued in a social media post defending the legislation. Speaker Johnson echoed this sentiment in an official statement after the bill’s passage: “President Trump’s America First agenda puts our country first in every way.”
House Democrats strongly opposed the measure, with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urging lawmakers to vote against “this small-minded, silly and sycophantic bill” during floor debate. Rep. Jared Huffman of California criticized House Republicans for focusing on renaming a body of water instead of debating critical legislation related to Medicaid and other social safety net programs. “A Congress that more and more appears to just be a joke, is now advancing a bill that literally started off as a joke,” Huffman said before the vote.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the federal cost to implement the name change would be less than $500,000 over five years. However, Democrats raised concerns about additional costs for schools, libraries, and municipalities that would need to update textbooks, signs, and other materials.
