House Passes Bill to Codify Gulf of America Name Change

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. The bill tasks the interior secretary with carrying out the renaming of the body of water between Mexico and Florida. Federal documents and maps would need to be updated with this change within 180 days of the bill’s enactment....