Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said she may introduce a bill as early as January 9 on the issue of renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Trump ally Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she would introduce legislation to that effect on Thursday morning, according to a report from CBS television.
CBS quotes the congresswoman as saying that the US Armed Forces protect the area from any military threats from foreign nations. In that regard, Green opined, “This is our gulf. Its rightful name is the Gulf of America.”
If the document is approved, federal maps and official documents must be updated within 180 days to reflect the new name. The initiative has sparked widespread public outcry because the bay traditionally bears a name that reflects its geographic proximity to Mexico.
Greene’s supporters argue that the renaming will emphasise American control over the waters, while critics call the proposal unnecessary and politically motivated.
Earlier, Trump said during an open press conference at Mar-a-Lago that he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Trump said the decision would be a new part of his administration’s policy. He emphasised that the new name covers a vast territory. The exact date when the decision will be made is unknown.
At the same time, Trump, speaking at a meeting with journalists at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, did not give an assurance of rejecting possible force or economic coercion in resolving issues related to the Panama Canal and Greenland. He has previously expressed the view that control of the Panama Canal should be returned to the US, and also alluded to the hypothetical annexation of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, to America.
