Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on the House floor on Jan. 3, 2025. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Tuesday she plans to introduce legislation renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Why it matters: The measure is in response to President-elect Trump floating the idea at an earlier press conference — during which he also declined to rule out seizing Panama and Greenland by military force.
- Trump has been pushing an imperialist vision that includes U.S. acquisition of Greenland, Panama, and — on a more facetious note — Canada.
Driving the news: Greene said on conservative influencer Benny Johnson’s podcast she was “so fired up watching the press conference” that she directed her staff “to immediately draft legislation.”
- It is unclear how the bill would impose the name change, though Greene suggested it would require federal agencies, including the U.S. military, to make “Gulf of America” the official name they use to refer to the Gulf.
- There is already significant interest from Greene’s GOP colleagues in co-sponsoring the legislation, a source familiar with the matter told Axios, a detail first reported by the Washington Examiner.
Between the lines: The bill will likely be a long-shot to clear the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, though Greene could try to have it attached to a larger package.
- Still, Greene noted the bill likely would require federal funding to enforce a name change, meaning it could rankle some of her fellow conservatives.
