Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Congress Bill Spotlight: renaming Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America”

Congress Bill Spotlight: renaming Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America”

A closeup of the Gulf of Mexico on a map.

Canva Images

The Fulcrum introduces Congress Bill Spotlight, a weekly report by Jesse Rifkin, focusing on the noteworthy legislation of the thousands introduced in Congress. Rifkin has written about Congress for years, and now he's dissecting the most interesting bills you need to know about, but that often don't get the right news coverage.

The potential rebrand echoes the 2003-era rebranding of French fries as “freedom fries.”


The Bill

A new bill would officially rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

At least in the United States, that is. Mexico itself, not being subject to U.S. laws, could continue to call the Gulf whatever it wants. So could every other country in the world—not to mention international mapmaking and cartography organizations.

Indeed, even in the U.S., many people would likely continue to call it the Gulf of Mexico just out of habit, perhaps for years to come. The bill would only change the name in official documents, which are specified to include any “law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States.”

The House bill was introduced on January 9 by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA14). The bill does not appear to have a title.

Context

The body of water off the U.S. southeast coast borders five states to its north —Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—plus Mexico to its west and Cuba to its southeast.

The name “Gulf of Mexico” was first used on a map in 1550. Even a few alternate names used long ago never included “Gulf of America”; instead, other names that never quite caught on included the “Gulf of Florida” and “Gulf of Cortés.”

Indeed, a Mississippi Democratic state representative’s 2012 proposal to rename it the “Gulf of America” was satirical, meant to spoof Republicans’ displays of hyperpatriotism.

Yet, President Donald Trump floated the idea with complete seriousness at a January press conference as president-elect. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order changing two geographical names: the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, plus Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley.

While the executive order encouraged the changes to be implemented within 30 days, Florida’s own state government under Gov. Ron DeSantis did so within hours.

But even Trump’s executive order acknowledged that the decree was only “guidance” because “congressional action is required to establish a renaming in public law.” Hence, this bill.

What Supporters Say

Supporters argue that it’s only fair that a country should name its bordering body of water after itself, at least for domestic purposes.

“The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the maritime waterways for commerce to be conducted. Our U.S. armed forces protect the area from any military threats from foreign countries,” Rep. Greene said in a press release. (That claim is true: the Coast Guard patrols the area.) “It’s our Gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America.”

What Opponents Say

Trump’s simultaneous name change from Mount Denali to Mount McKinley is controversial for removing the original Native Alaskan moniker, to one instead honoring a white president who never even visited Alaska.

By contrast, the “Gulf” name change isn’t so controversial on its actual merits. Rather, opponents say it’s a waste of time and a cheap trick to score political points with Trump’s base.

“House Democrats believe that we are not sent to Washington to… rename the Gulf of Mexico,” House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY8)  said at a press conference. “We were sent to Washington to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America.”

Mexico’s own political leader dismissed the issue as irrelevant in her own country.

“He says that he will call it the Gulf of America,” Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said. “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.” She also sarcastically suggested renaming the entire U.S. as “Mexican America” in response.

Odds of Passage

The bill has attracted 29 cosponsors, all Republicans. It now awaits a potential vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, controlled by Republicans.

No Senate companion version appears to have been introduced yet.

SUGGESTION: Congress Bill Spotlight: constitutional amendment letting Trump be elected to a third term

President-Elect Donald Trump speaks during a victory rally at the Capital One Arena on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Jesse Rifkin is a freelance journalist with the Fulcrum. Don’t miss his weekly report, Congress Bill Spotlight, every Friday on the Fulcrum. Rifkin’s writings about politics and Congress have been published in the Washington Post, Politico, Roll Call, Los Angeles Times, CNN Opinion, GovTrack, and USA Today.

Read More

Marines Sent to Los Angeles “Presents a Significant Logistical and Operational Challenge”

Protesters confront National Guard soldiers and police outside of a federal building as protests continue in Los Angeles following three days of clashes with police after a series of immigration raids on June 09, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Marines Sent to Los Angeles “Presents a Significant Logistical and Operational Challenge”

LOS ANGELES, CA - An estimated 700 U.S. Marines are being mobilized from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, approximately 140 miles east of Los Angeles, to Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. This mobilization will position the troops closer to Los Angeles, where they may potentially work alongside National Guard units to protect federal resources and personnel, according to NBC News.

The latest figures from police, nearly 70 individuals were arrested over the weekend during protests. This total includes 29 people arrested on Saturday for failure to disperse and 21 individuals arrested on Sunday on charges ranging from attempted murder involving a Molotov cocktail to looting and failure to disperse, as reported by the LAPD.

Keep ReadingShow less
GOP Funding Bill Could Put CA Rural Health Centers, Hospitals at Risk

Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, makes up about 40% of revenue for Community Health Centers, which serve almost 32 million mostly low-income people nationwide.

Arlette/Adobe Stock

GOP Funding Bill Could Put CA Rural Health Centers, Hospitals at Risk

People who depend on Community Health Centers and rural hospitals could have trouble finding care if Medicaid cuts just approved by the U.S. House are signed into law.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 8 million people nationwide could lose coverage over the next decade, including more than 3 million in California.

Lizette Escobedo, vice president of government relations and civic engagement at AltaMed Health Services in Los Angeles, said the costs to treat a flood of uninsured patients would overwhelm community clinics and small town hospitals.

"If this bill were to be implemented over the next 10 years, some federally qualified health centers and hospitals especially in the rural areas would probably have to close their doors," Escobedo projected.

Supporters of the bill said the savings are needed to fund other administration priorities, including President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts. The bill would also tighten work requirements for Medicaid coverage and force people to reapply every six months instead of annually. And it would slash tens of billions in federal funding to states like California allowing health coverage for undocumented people.

Joe Dunn, chief policy officer for the National Association of Community Health Centers, called the proposed cuts counterproductive, in terms of keeping people healthy and keeping costs down.

"Health centers actually save money in the long run, because it reduces utilization of emergency departments and other kind of higher-cost settings, like inpatient hospitalization," Dunn explained.

The bill is now in the U.S. Senate.

GOP Funding Bill Could Put CA Rural Health Centers, Hospitals at Risk was originally published by the Public News Service and is republished with permission.

Keep ReadingShow less
Selective Sympathy: America’s Racial Double Standard on South African Asylum

Unrecognizable person clinging to a fence deprived of freedom

Getty Images//Stock Photo

Selective Sympathy: America’s Racial Double Standard on South African Asylum

It's a peculiar feeling to see the United States, a nation built on the bones of the oppressed, suddenly rebrand itself as a sanctuary for the persecuted as long as those seeking refuge are white. The current executive branch of the American government has managed to weaponize the language of human rights for its own geopolitical and racial ends— that is, selective, self-serving, misguided, and immoral.

The Trump administration is sullying the name of America, with barely a fig leaf of evidence, by trumpeting allegations of "genocide" against white South Africans. The chorus rises from right-wing newsrooms to the halls of Congress, fueled by viral videos and the breathless retelling of farm attacks, stripped of historical context or statistical rigor. White South Africans are an endangered species, so told, and America must fling open its doors, granting not just asylum but a fast track to citizenship—no questions asked.

Keep ReadingShow less
Just the Facts: Who Holds the Cards: The United States or China in Tariff Negotiations
A golden trump head stands before stacks of money.
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

Just the Facts: Who Holds the Cards: The United States or China in Tariff Negotiations

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces. However, before our readers can analyze varying viewpoints, they must have the facts.

What is the current status?

Keep ReadingShow less