What’s in a name? House approves Gulf of America label. How NC lawmakers voted
Happy Monday! It’s Danielle Battaglia with today’s edition of Under the Dome.
In 2010, as 134 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, comedian Stephen Colbert suggested the United States rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Why?
“We broke it, we bought it,” Colbert said.
Who knows if President Donald Trump was watching Colbert that night. He is known to be a television junkie, and his interest is vast.
But if he was watching, he didn’t understand the satire.
When Trump entered his second term, he issued an executive order to rename the Gulf for a different reason: to “honor America’s greatness.”
So why do we care this week?
On Thursday, the U.S. House voted to codify into law the gulf’s new name and update government documents, maps and regulations to reflect it. The vote went under the radar because the new pope upstaged it.
“This is about pride, sovereignty, and the American identity,” Rep. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from Hickory, said in a news release. “Our coastline belongs to the United States, and it’s time we stopped naming it after a foreign government. The Gulf is American water, and the name should reflect that.”
The vote almost fell along party lines 211 to 206, with Republicans favoring the bill except for Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. (Did you all know his nickname is Bits? As in Bacon bits? I learned that while writing this.)
Eight Republicans and eight Democrats didn’t vote. None were from North Carolina.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk who chairs the House Committee on Rules, the last place a bill goes before reaching the floor, defended the bill during the committee’s meeting Monday (ironically, Cinco De Mayo).
“This legislation recognized the strategic influence America has over this geography, not to mention the existing economic, cultural and commercial might that was passively exerted on the gulf,” Foxx said, mentioning that gulfs around the world are named in connection to their geography. “The nomenclature of this gulf goes back to the mid-1600s before the United States outpaced Mexico.”
Foxx challenged Democrats to give a reason this decision would be detrimental.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said she wouldn’t mince words.
“This bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico is a stupid, unserious waste of time and taxpayer dollars,” Scanlon said. “It’s an embarrassment to the nation that it was ever introduced, let alone that it’s being brought to the floor for a vote.”
It’s not clear if and when the Senate will take up the measure, which would be needed to send it to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
Meanwhile, Trump also reportedly plans to announce he will rename the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia.
In other news:
▪ Gov. Josh Stein authorized the Department of Public Safety to buy 1,000 travel trailers or mobile homes to help people affected by Helene. Only six have been installed. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi tells you why.
▪ A decision by the Environmental Protection Agency is likely going to cost the Research Triangle Park campus hundreds of jobs. Brian Gordon explains.
▪ The Supreme Court election is finally over, nearly six months later, after a Trump-appointed federal judge ordered North Carolina to certify the election for Allison Riggs, the Democratic incumbent. Kyle Ingram tells you what it means for future elections, both state and federal..
▪ Former North Carolina Transportation Secretary Tony Tata couldn’t get Senate approval in Trump’s first administration due to controversial comments he made. Now he’s likely to become part of Trump’s administration through a Senate vote. I explain.
▪ Sen. Thom Tillis split from Trump on one of his nominations for the first time this term. Tillis opposed Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin as Washington’s top prosecutor and ended Martin’s prospects of Senate confirmation. Find out what happened.
▪ North Carolina law enforcement agencies are pushing back against claims that they’re “sanctuary” jurisdictions after Trump announced he would strip funding to such locales. Anna Roman and Tammy Grubb have more.
Don’t forget, we want to hear from our readers, if Trump’s new policies are having a personal impact on you. You can fill out the form we created to get in touch with our staff and tell us your personal stories.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast newsletter.
And if you have any feedback or tips for this new edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "What’s in a name? House approves Gulf of America label. How NC lawmakers voted."
