US House Republicans vote to rename Gulf of Mexico as 'Gulf of America'

HAMILTON, Canada

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," a move pushed by Republicans and supported by President Donald Trump.

The bill, titled the "Gulf of America Act," passed narrowly with a 211-206 vote. Only one Republican, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, voted against it. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, all US government maps and official documents would use the new name.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who introduced the bill, argued that "as we rename the gulf the Gulf of America we are also taking pride in those waters."

Democrats strongly criticized the move, as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: "I urge a strong no against this silly, small-minded, sycophantic piece of legislation."

"What Republicans have decided to spend this entire legislative day doing is to debate a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico," he added.

The White House previously backed the bill, calling the name change a recognition of the region's importance.