US House approves ‘Gulf of America’ bill

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to permanently rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

The Gulf of America Act was approved 211-206 on Thursday, with all but one Republican in favor, and every Democrat opposed.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who introduced the legislation, was happy to see it pass.

“This is the first step to codify into law one of President Trump’s favorite executive orders,” Greene posted on X. “This bill recognizes the entrepreneurs supporting the Gulf’s economy and the service men and women who protect its waters.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February ordering the secretary of the interior to recognize the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a change Congress would codify to make permanent.

The lone Republican no vote came from Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, who called it a waste of time.

“I’ve heard criticisms from all corners of the conference – conservative to pragmatic ones,” Bacon told Fox News. “It seems sophomoric. The United States is bigger and better than this.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, expressed a similar sentiment. “What might Members of Congress under this temporary Republican majority be debating on the floor today?” he asked in jest.

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, defended the measure, saying it’s part of a broader strategy to codify President Donald Trump’s executive orders into law.

“Now this week, we’ll add another one to the list. We’re going to pass Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to permanently rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and then we’re going to codify dozens more of President Trump’s budget-related executive orders, spending-related executive orders, through the budget reconciliation process,” Johnson told Fox News.

The proposal now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it faces an uphill battle to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.